The Sun Prince
by OrthrusEchoFive
Summary: A chain of events has been set into motion with the arrival of the Dragonborn. Struggling for answers, will he be able to save those he holds dear? What new bonds will he forge? Or is it all too late... All rights to Fairy Tail and Skyrim go to their respective owners. Credit for the original cover image goes to Galler-y on DeviantArt, I just edited it in Photoshop.
1. Synthesis

Chapter 1: Synthesis

 _Where am I?_

The stranger woke up without a clue as to what had happened. He laid on the ground, robes caked with dirt and tattered around the sleeves. The harsh cold he was accustomed to had been replaced with a lukewarm breeze, and the eerie silence that came with it caught the weary man off guard.

 _Where are the dragons? Surely, I would have heard at least a roar by now._

His thoughts were met with only more silence. Picking is back up off the ground, the stranger sat up and surveyed the surroundings. He was in a densely populated forest, which felt odd given the lack of wildlife. The closest animal to him was a lone bird that sat perched upon a branch about one hundred meters to his left. To his right was a small pond, but he could not make out the sound of any fish, something he was quite capable of doing. Almost directly above him was the sun, barely shining through the canopy of leaves that obscured the man's view.

 _At least one thing has stayed the same. Glad I've got that going for me._

Deciding he'd had enough of sitting on the ground and get his robes any dirtier, he walked over to the closest tree and began to climb it. The task proved to be quite an easy feat, as any young man of his physique should expect. Resting his head against the base, he began a routine meditation session. He found that, at times of uncertainty, clearing the mind and focusing on the task ahead proved to be the best method of relaxation.

 _Now let's see…where exactly could I be?_

He knew without a doubt that this land wasn't Skyrim. While he'd only been there for three years, his time there had proven to be quite memorable, and the space he now occupied certainly didn't fit that description. And that included Solstheim, although his time there was much more limited.

 _Could I be near Cyrodiil?_

He quickly ruled that possibility out. Even if his adventures in Skyrim had lasted another decade, he was sure he'd never forget the sweet smell of his homeland. The scents that he was now faced with were completely new. Seeing as he hadn't really been anywhere else, a sudden realization hit him.

 _I'm not in Tamriel, am I?_

It was an excessive and overly dramatic question given the man's immediate situation, but even the books he had read on the history and geography of the continent didn't quite match his newest setting. The lack of animals was even more disturbing.

 _Alright, think. Is there anything I can do that will show me the way?_

It hit him. With a faint movement of his left hand, he cast a Clairvoyance spell, and a beam of light snaked down the tree and through the forest. The man smiled slightly.

 _Glad I visited that dusty old College in Winterhold. I thought that measly spell would never come in handy. Guess they taught me something valuable after all._

The smile soon faded with sound of a growling that snapped his concentration. At the bottom of the tree was a pack of hungry animals, which he discerned to be wolves. He counted six of them. Rolling his eyes in annoyance, the man raised his right hand and snapped his fingers once. Immediately, the six wolves each fell over dead, their bodies impacting the ground without a sound. A few seconds later the bodies were encompassed in light and spontaneously set aflame. It took about a second for the burning corpses to crumble into ash. And with that, the man recast his previous spell and continued meditating.


	2. Heatwave

Chapter 2: Heatwave

 _Maybe this man can help me._

The stranger was walking along what seemed for all intents and purposes a small path of fallen leaves. It had been nearly three hours since he had encountered those wolves back at the tree, and no answers had yet revealed themselves. He had almost given up on the Clairvoyance spell when it had suddenly led him to a resting figure. Much like he had, the sleeping figure was using a tree as support. As he got closer, the appearance of the sleeping man became much clearer. First, he noticed the robes he wore to be black, much like his own. Then came the white cloak that seemed to hang over his shoulder, coming down to the waist and wrapping around his torso and arm much like a serpent would around it's prey. Then, he saw the black hair and quiet features of the face, the innocent eyebrows and acute chin that struck the stranger as odd.

 _What would someone so young be doing out here in the middle of the forest? Perhaps I should wake him._

 _On second thought, I should let him rest. He's made it this far without being eaten._

"Hello there."

The stranger was taken aback at the now conscious man below him. He was almost certain he had made no noise to interrupt him from his nap. Cautiously, he replied.

"Good afternoon. My apologies for waking you. Are you lost?"

"No, not at all. I've been in these woods for some time now, it's quite comforting actually."

"Have you always lived in the woods? Based on your outfit, I can't imagine you're out here hunting the local wildlife."

"No, I don't live here. My home is quite far from here, but I decided to spend some time in these woods while I search for the peace that has eluded me."

"Oh, well I hope you find it. I didn't catch your name, did I?"

"No, but that's alright. My name is Zeref."

 _Interesting name for a man. Certainly not one I would have ever come up with._

"Pleasure to meet you, Zeref, my name is Sol."

He reached out to shake the young teen's hand. In an instant, a black aura grew around Zeref's hand and body, swirling around him like a whirlwind of clouds. Before he had the chance to react, the darkness surrounded Sol and he fell to the ground with a hard thud. Thinking him to be dead, Zeref sighed and moved his body to a nearby stream where a deer had lowered it's head to drink. A few minutes later, he returned to his tree and went back to his dreams.

_Dream_

 _The castle loomed overhead, ominous as it was struck by lighting and pelted with rain. As he landed onto the shore of the island with his boat, a younger Sol drew Auriel's Bow and fired an arrow directly at a nearby gargoyle. It struck the beast in the right pectoral and burst into flames of light. The creature howled out in pain as the light enveloped it, seeping through the cracks in it's stone skin and expanding until suddenly it could take no more. In a bright flash, the beast exploded, sending fragments of it's charred body into the nearby vampire guarding the gate._

 _"Nice shot," Serana exclaimed, having now seen the bow in action for the first time. Her eyes glowed yellow in the darkness of the night, the moonlight shining out of her eyes and calling to Sol. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were actually good at archery." "Oh shut it, Serana," Sol shot back playfully. "It's not my fault I have to use this clumsy thing. It would be way easier if I could just disenchant this ridiculous looking toy and cast the enchantments as spells."_

 _"First off, it's not a toy," Isran reminded him sternly, "and second, we already tried that. Every wizard in Skyrim hasn't been able to help us. Even Gelebor couldn't figure it out. Stop complaining about something that can't be changed!"_

 _"Whatever. Let's just get this over with," Sol replied smartly, preparing to enter the main hall of the castle._

_Present_

He woke up to the sound of a dragon's roar.

 _Am I back home?_

He took the time to smell his surroundings. They were the same as when he had been knocked out.

 _Zeref._

A combination of anger and curiosity overtook Sol. His thoughts were filled immediately with getting revenge on the solemn man. Then he remembered their conversation.

 _"No, I don't live here. My home is quite far from here, but I decided to spend some time in these woods while I search for the peace that has eluded me."_

Refreshing himself with some of the water from the stream he woke up next to, Sol heard another dragon roar. This time, listening more closely, a feeling of confusion took over.

 _That dragon. It wasn't speaking Dovah._

Casting Clairvoyance, he followed the light towards his new objective: the dragon. With all of the winged beasts he had slain in his few years in Skyrim, it was abundantly clear that this one was different from the rest. Never before had he met a dragon who didn't speak Dovah.

 _Then again, I've also never been here before. Shouldn't be too surprised._

He soon reached a cliff overlooking a clearing. There was a beach not much farther, but that wasn't what Sol was concerning himself with. Down in the clearing was a dragon more massive than he had ever seen, towering over the area with the ominous presence of a small mountain. Its wings were black with teal blue markings, and it for some reason had four legs, or rather two legs and two arms, completely separate from the wings. He had to brace himself for the force of wind each movement of the monster generated.

Looking down into the clearing he saw a variety of people trying to fight the dragon off, with little success. One had cast flames, another ice. One woman even managed to change her armor and weapons immediately, as if in the blink of an eye. Suddenly one of the men grew to become a giant almost the same size of the dragon. He seemed to be an older man, with his snow-white hair balding near the top. He said something to his comrades as he fought the dragon, but Sol couldn't quite make it out with all of the noise the destruction was causing. Given the dragon was unlike any he had ever fought, he kept his distance.

Not too long after, the dragon flew into the air, casting a massive shadow on the ground. The old man had shrunk to his normal size, which seemed to be quite small compared to the rest of the men and women on the ground. Come to think of it, they all seemed to be a bit shorter that Sol, not that he could be for certain from this distance. In a strange move, the twenty or so people gathered in the clearing formed a circle, holding hands with one another. Overhead, much to Sol's dislike, the dragon seemed to be preparing to shout.

 _No, that can't be a Thu'um. The dragon doesn't know the language necessary. Whatever this is, it can't be good._

Preparing for the blast that was sure to come, Sol conjured from thin air a red-orange shield of light, shining as bright as the sun itself. The dragon, along with the people on the ground, saw a brief flash by the cliff where he was standing, but neither party thought much of it. In a short instant, the beast fired the laser-like blast towards the group, and yet again Sol's vision went dark.


	3. Disturbed Sleep

Chapter 3: Disturbed Sleep

 _This is getting old quickly._

Sol got up from his spot on the cliff after yet again being knocked unconscious. When he arose, he was genuinely surprised to see that the blast from the black dragon had not left any mark on the island.

 _Strange. Perhaps that elven shield did the trick. Seems that Auriel guy really did know his stuff._

On closer inspection, he noticed that none of the people who had fought the dragon were where they were. Assuming they had defeated the dragon after all, Sol cast Clairvoyance once again and walked back into the forest, hoping to find some answers.

It didn't take long.

"Hey Natsu! Wake up!"

"Pull yourself together!"

"Come on, man, you gotta get up!"

"Ahh! Let me sleep jerks!"

"Natsu!"

Sol was surprised to see the men tackle the pink-haired teen, whom they referred to as Natsu. As far as he knew, nothing had happened. It made no sense for them to be worried when they had just defeated a dragon.

"Do you mind telling me what's going on? What are you guys doing on the island?" Natsu yelled, annoyed that he had been awoken from his rest.

 _Island? Interesting._

"This is hurting my head. It feels like we were just hit by Acnologia's attack, but now… I'm so confused." Natsu wondered out loud in bewilderment. "Wait, where's everybody else?"

 _Acnologia. An interesting name for a dragon. It certainly doesn't sound like anything out of the Dovahzul language. Guess I'll have to do to some research…_

Sol snapped out of thoughts when he realized a young girl was standing above the small group. She had said something, but he had been too lost in his thoughts to hear her. The group started to walk over and find the other people he had encountered.

"When the dragon attacked, I was able to convert the bonds of trust and friendship between your guild mates into pure magic power. Their bonds were so strong that Fairy Sphere was activated, one of the three Grand Fairy spells. It is an absolute defense spell, capable of protecting the guild from all manner of evil. Those inside the impenetrable sphere were in a suspended state. It's been seven long years, but the spell has finally been lifted."

 _Seven years! You've got to be kidding me! I've been stuck on this island with these people for seven years! That's insane, I'm not even a part of their guild! Who knows what could've happened to Tamriel in that time? This is not good._

Suddenly, the voice of the little girl was in his mind, almost like they were his own thoughts.

 _I'm sorry for the inconvenience I may have caused you, Sol. I didn't quite have enough time to explain to you my actions before Acnologia attacked. I hope that, in time, you can forgive me._

 _Who are you? And how are you able to speak to me using telepathy?_

 _I'm a spirit. My name is Mavis Vermilion, and I am the first Master of the Fairy Tail guild. Everyone you see before you are current members. I wanted to take the time to let you know that you were brought to this world for a reason, and that by saving you, I have done my part in helping you complete your mission._

 _Mission? What mission? I don't remember any sort of mission? And I definitely could've stopped that dragon's attack with Auriel's Shield._

 _Very brave of you, but I didn't want to take any chances. And I'm not exactly sure what your goal is, but I know that fate decided for you to be here, and I must respect the wishes of fate. Now go, and complete your task, whatever it may be._

 _That's not exactly a lead to go off!_

But the spirit had already left, leaving him with no more answers that before. He decided it would be best to follow the member of this "Fairy Tail" guild and see if he could figure out what exactly was going on. Casting Clairvoyance, he saw his path leading to a boat that had just left the island. Not wanting to miss his only chance of finding these people, he threw both of his arms up towards the sky in the shape of a "V" and channeled the power of the sun into his body. Using this, his body suddenly transformed into nothing but light and shot up into the sky, seemingly headed towards the sun. Just a moment after this, a beam of light suddenly hurtled down towards the bottom of the ship, and Sol's body reformed in the cargo hold. Even though he had already done so multiple times in what felt like a few hours, he decided it would be best to rest and meditate on any further course of action. And with that, his mind slipped into a dream.

_Dream_

 _Sol stared down Lord Harkon, Auriel's Bow slung over his back, ready for a fight. The vampire was drawing in blood energy, preparing for battle._

 _"_ _I'll give you a single chance to turn over the bow to me. There will not be a second." Harkon sneered._

 _"Never." Sol defiantly roared, casting his Dragon Aspect and charging at Harkon, fists ready._

 _"Very well then, you leave me no choice!" Harkon yells as he teleports away from Sol's attack._

 _"Serana, deal with those gargoyles and skeletons! I'll worry about Harkon." Sol ordered as he prepared a shout._

 _"Got it." Serana replied. "I know he's my father, but don't go easy on him."_

 _"Wasn't planning on it." Sol, now bursting with power, drew in air and released the Thu'um with all his might. "_ _ **Gaan Lah Haas!**_ _"_

 _In an instant, Harkon was to his knees, reaching to drink the blood from the fountain above him. Sol jumped over to him in the blink of an eye and swatted his hand down. He wasn't going to let him regain his lost vitality. He picked up the vampire by his neck and began choking him, making the foul creature jerk and writhe in pain._

 _"I'll… rend the… flesh from… your… bones." Harkon barely managed to get the words out of his now bleeding mouth._

 _"It's over, demon," replied a now enraged Sol. "I've won. Your little game is done."_

 _Suddenly, the vampire smiled. "No, no, my boy, it is not yet over. Do you really think my wife could keep her little secret from me? Kill me if you like, but my soul will still live on."_

 _Shocked by the realization, Sol grew furious with the creature, punching a hole through its chest and crushing its heart. The demon slumped over in the grasp of the Dovahkiin's left hand, and he threw the corpse down into the fountain, shattering it to pieces._

 _"We have to go to your mother's lab, Serana. There isn't time to lose." He quickly eliminated the last couple of skeletons the vampire's daughter was dealing with and rushed through the door, not waiting for her to catch up._

_Present_

Sol woke up from his dream and looked out of a small crack in the ship's wooden body. He realized that they were now docked and getting off, so he decided to cast his previous spell once more, shooting up into the sky. This time he spent a much longer time in the air, searching for the Fairy Tail members he had left with. Then, rather than follow through, he had a better idea.

 _Why don't I just find where their guild is located and spy on them from there? That should take less time than travelling with the group._

With the power of the sun, Sol was able to see all things the light touched in this world. Quickly recognizing the Fairy Tail guild hall, he shot down into a small forest near the rural building. Recalling Mavis's words on the island, he looked on in determination.

 _I will figure out why I'm here._


	4. Serana

Chapter 4: Serana

_Dream_

 _"Why are we going up to my mother's lab?" Serana questioned impatiently as they ran through the narrow corridors of Castle Volkihar._

 _"Harkon mentioned it," Sol replied hurriedly, batting away skeevers and death hounds as he ran, "so it must be important."_

 _"Don't you think we could be walking into a trap?" Serana's wariness of entering her mother's lab was obvious. "Putting your trust in a dying follower of Molag Bal isn't exactly the best idea."_

 _"It's not like we have much of a choice." Sol stopped and turned to face Serana, a look of anxiety on his face. "Our best bet is to go in and stop whatever it is he's done in there. He could've gotten to Valerica."_

 _That seemed to do the trick. The wave of sudden realization spreading across her face, Serana barged past the Dovahkiin, ready to confront her father once more. He smiled as she walked past, noticing how in times of crisis and combat she gave off a more pleasing aura._

 _When all of this is over, perhaps we'll be able to settle down and relax. That would be nice._

 _"Ready?" Serana braced herself at the door, ready to go._

 _"Of course, Serana." Sol looked at her with determination, and together, they opened the door. What lied before them was the last thing they expected._

 _Hermaeus Mora._

 _It didn't fit. If any of the Daedric princes should be here, it should Molag Bal, not Hermaeus Mora. And what could he possibly want with Harkon?_

 _None of this makes any sense. Whatever it is, it can't be good._

 _"Hello, Dragonborn. I've been expecting you." The Daedric Prince bellowed, the noise of his voice sounding like it came from a far away, underwater cave. "I see you've met my newest servant, Harkon."_

 _"Bluffing won't work, Hermaeus. Harkon serves Molag Bal, not you." Sol retorted with angered emphasis. He didn't feel like dealing with this creep a second time. "What do you want?"_

 _"Oh, just for you to see that I have no need for you anymore. Molag Bal and I have an arrangement, albeit a tense one. In exchange for some of my knowledge, I asked for him to give me a vampire as my apprentice. And seeing as how you managed to destroy his physical form, I need some sort of payment."_

 _The Dovahkiin reached for his sword, prepared to fight off an attack. "You won't be getting anything from me, foul prince. Twisting Miraak into your slave might have worked in the past but doing so with Harkon will not. Count on it."_

 _"Oh, I have no doubt you'll try to stop me. But your payment has nothing to do with you." The green tentacled eye staring at him seemed to smile, a smile that Sol realized was a hallucination given the tension in the room. "I need a vampire soul to fill a vampire body, and it seemed you've brought me the perfect specimen."_

 _Sol quickly looked at Serana. He hadn't even realized that she had been taken prisoner, writhing in pain as Hermaeus Mora's tentacled constricted her. "Soon she'll be joining me in Apocrypha. Say goodbye, Dragonborn."_

 _Sol took one look down at his feet, realizing what he had to do. Sheathing his sword, he pointed his right arm directly at Serana, palm completely open. "I'm sorry, Serana. I'll find a way out, I promise."_

 _He could barely see it, but Serana had nodded. She understood exactly what needed to be done. A single tear rolled down as he cast the spell. Soul Trap._

 _An instant later, he drew in breath and released it into the loudest Thu'um he could muster. "_ _ **FUS RO DAH!**_ _" The Shout hit the tentacles covering Serana directly, ripping right through them, and right through Serana. It was obvious his plan had worked when he heard her body hit the floor. He couldn't bring himself to look up and see what he had just done. Hermaeus Mora was visibly enraged._

 _"How dare you interfere in my plan, mortal! I will have you tortured for an eternity for this!" The Daedric prince shot a tentacle directly at Sol's chest, knocking him backwards into the Soul Cairn. That's when Sol noticed something that he had been oblivious to the whole time._

 _Isn't the portal to the Soul Cairn purple?_

 _This portal was not, in fact, purple, but a mix of light blue and gold. Hoping he could use this change to his advantage, he didn't try to stop himself from falling. He then slipped through the void without a sound, leaving Hermaeus Mora alone with Harkon's corpse in the lab._

 _"Interesting. I didn't realize Ankhseram had a purpose for the mortal. So be it." The Daedra then vanished from the room, leaving no trace of his presence._

 __Void__

 _Where am I? What's going on?_

 _ **Hmm. A Dragon Slayer? I wonder what brought it here.**_

 _What? Who's there? Why is there a voice in my head?_

 _ **Perhaps he belongs with the rest of them. Fine, I'll send him along. Now where are the rest of them?**_

 __ _The rest of who? Why won't you answer me?_

 _ **It seems that most of them are on island known by the mortals as Tenrou. I guess he'll fit there.**_

 __ _Tenrou? What? That's not in Tamriel? Wait a minute, are you a Daedric prince?_

 _ **Now for the hard part. Blocking his memory. Always tricky.**_

 __ _Wait, you're going to block my memory! Stop, and answer my questions! Can't you hear me?_

 _ **Alright, all done. On you go.**_

 __ _Wait, what? What's happening? AHHHGHGH!_

 _The Dovahkiin floats through numerous nebulae and galaxies in a few minutes before quickly reaching a black hole. Suddenly, he fell onto the ground, and there he slept for several hours, before waking up dazed and confused._

 _Where am I?_

The stranger woke without a clue as to what had happened. He laid on the ground, robes caked with dirt and tattered around the sleeves…

_Present_

Sol woke up with a start. His eyes wide open, he remembered everything now. How he had managed to end up in a foreign land.

Frantically searching the light dimension for his stored things, he quickly found the black soul gem and sighed in relief. It glowed with a dark red hue. He leaned back and sighed in relief.

Serana.

"Right. Time to get to work."


	5. Espionage

Chapter 5: Espionage

Sol had done his fair share of spying in Tamriel, but only for short periods. Typically, he had used his sneaking abilities to listen in on bandits or outlaws that were obstacles toward the mission. He'd spend a minute or so listening for any clues regarding the location of his goal, whether that goal be a lost artifact, new Thu'um, or enemy. Once he got the information he needed, he'd quickly and quietly eliminate the two or three criminals in front of him and be on his way. Simple.

This mission had proved so far to be anything other than normal. Sol couldn't just kill the Fairy Tail mages, not without the knowledge he needed to bring Serana back. Not that he wasn't capable. From his research, it seemed that only a handful of the guild members would prove to be a challenge should the need to fight present itself. One thing was for certain, and that was Fairy Tail's knack for getting itself into trouble.

Over the three or so months he had studied them (it was difficult to tell time, as it seemed the length of the day was slightly off) Sol had seen the guild's fiery spirit in dealing with enemies. Namely a group called the Reborn Oración Seis, who seemed bent on enveloping the world in darkness. While Sol could have intervened in the conflict, he wanted to see Fairy Tail in action, and observe its strengths and weaknesses. A couple of names particularly interested him.

 _Natsu._

He had encountered the fire mage back on Tenrou Island, and Sol considered him to be an incredibly powerful fighter. He looked forward to testing that strength and seeing if there was a flame capable of surpassing his own.

 _Gray._

The young ice wizard was almost as powerful as Natsu, and Sol appreciated the juxtaposition between the two. Ice and fire combined proved to be a devastating combination back in Skyrim, and here was no different.

 _Erza._

The female had the interesting ability to change her armor and weapons mid-battle, each with a different enchantment or magic power that improved her ability to fight. Such an adaptable fighter on the battlefield could prove to be an excellent addition to the Imperial Army, if that chance was ever given.

 _Lucy._

Her name didn't produce quite the same feelings of power as the others, but his studies of her proved to show that her determination to fight was on par with the others. Also interesting was her use of keys, which seemed to conjure different beings to fight on her behalf. When Sol learned that those beings came from the stars, he viewed Lucy in a brand-new light, deciding that her power had enormous potential in battle.

But during his time studying the guild, one name stood above all others. The type of magic she used, rather than her strength, fascinated him more than any other. And it was her that he decided could help him.

 _Mirajane._

Just thinking of the name got his heart racing. Not that he was attracted to her, but her ability to transform into a demon-like form struck an uncanny resemblance to the lycanthropy and vampirism he knew from home. If there was anyone who could help him break Serana out of the black soul gem now dangling around his neck, it was her.

This particular day proved to be more exciting. Sol had followed the guild to a city called Crocus, which Sol learned was the seat of a large kingdom known as Fiore. Reverting to his physical form atop the peak of Mercurius, the palace towering over the surrounding city, he looked toward Domas Flau, the coliseum sitting to the west of his current position. Today was the first day of the Grand Magic Games, and Sol was determined to make his existence known to the world. Something about competition brought out the joy and passion in Sol.

He had stood atop Mercurius for several hours, waiting for the clock to strike midnight. Eventually, he heard a clock tower sound twelve times, and various buildings across Crocus rise. He hesitated for a moment, taken aback at the massive display of magic power shown by the creators of the games. It would've taken decades to set up something this elaborate anywhere in Tamriel, and it had only taken these people a year to make their plans come to fruition. The only thing Sol's cloak couldn't hide was the smirk spreading across his face.

 _Now we'll see just what you're made of, Fairy Tail._

"Now you will all be participating in a race! The finish line is at the Domas Flau Coliseum. Only the first eight teams to reach it will move on to the Grand Magic Games!"

Sol noticed several paths forming from each elevated building. He chuckled silently to himself.

 _Not like I'll need those._

"You're free to use magic in any way you see fit. There are no restrictions! But remember, only the first eight teams to reach the finish line will clear this round. However, all five team members must cross the goal for it to count. One more thing, we are not responsible for any loss of life that may occur in the Labyrinth."

It was once the voice had finished that he noticed the sphere floating above the city. Deciding he wouldn't waste any time, Sol transformed into his light form, travelling almost instantly to the finish line. He hovered above the door and waited for a minute or so, when suddenly a short man with a pumpkin head appeared next to the door.

"Let the Grand Magic Games preliminary round: Sky Labyrinth begin!"

Once the man had finished, Sol reverted to his physical form next to the man, taking him by surprise.

"Ah! Why hello there. How did you manage to find this place so quickly?" The pumpkin headed man seemed genuinely perplexed by Sol's presence.

 _So, my magic must be unique to this world. Good._

"Don't worry about that. I'm here to claim my place in this year's Games." Sol leaned against the frame of the door, crossing his legs as he stood in contempt.

The pumpkin man seemed further confused by this statement. "I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to claim your spot without the rest of your team present! Guess you'll have to wait to them."

Sol's sly smile widened. "Oh, I'm not a part of a team. I work alone. But I'm sure you'll agree that having a solo ninth participant would be an exciting addition to the contest."

"Hmm. I suppose it could work, but that would leave an odd number of participants to work with, and that makes organizing the games even more difficult."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. From what I can tell, the pros outweigh the cons, so be a pal and let me through." Sol's presence was increasingly menacing as he stepped slowly towards the game organizer, forcing him to a decision.

"Alright, alright. You can enter. Do you need accommodations? Seeing as you aren't a part of a registered team, you don't have an inn assigned for your stay during the competition."

"Don't worry about that. I've got that under control." Sol opened the door and walked through, smiling as he prepared to show the world the full extent of his power. His eyes glowed a brighter orange than usual, concealing the anxiety that hid within his necklace.


	6. Day One

Chapter 6: Day One

Sol woke up to a beautiful sunrise. It had been several hours since he had confronted the pumpkin man, who he learned during breakfast was called Mato, and entered the Grand Magic Games. He had used his powers after meeting him to find a local group of criminals, wiping them out with ease and stealing the money they had. Jewel, it was called. Considering that the currency had no ties to actual jewels, Sol found the name a bit peculiar. He used some of the Jewel he had confiscated to purchase a room at an inn close to Domas Flau, making sure he had easy access to his things in case he ran into trouble at the coliseum. Putting on a set of Daedric Armor and a silver hood glowing orange with solar energy, Sol used his light to shoot through the nearest window and toward the coliseum.

Landing in his physical form in a tunnel leading towards the inner battlegrounds, Sol waited for his cue.

"And last but certainly not least, it's the team that came in first place in the preliminaries. That's right, you know them, you love them, now get on your feet and scream for the most powerful guild in all of Fiore: the one and only Sabertooth!"

Sol looked through the tunnel to see a group of mages entering the arena from the opposite side.

 _A strong looking group, to say the least, but we'll see if they live up to their name._

As the crowd went wild, the announcer took a minute to let them settle before introducing him. "Now folks, we've got one more surprise in store for you. There is a lone individual who the organizers have decided to let participate in the Grand Magic Games this year as a ninth participant. Turn your attention to the tunnel to my right as our mystery guest joins the competition!"

The crowd, along with the eight teams already inside, were in a state of utter bewilderment. It was now his time to shine. Sol started to walk down the center of the tunnel, determined to win the Games and demand his reward.

 _I promise I'll win, Serana. Whatever it takes._

_Reactions to Sol_

As the mysterious man walked steadily through the tunnel, Natsu felt a powerful wave of energy flow over his body. His senses picked up on an intense magic, one he was all too familiar with.

The rest of the wizards seemed to notice as well. "I'm sensing a great deal of power from this man." Erza remarked, her gaze locked on the man. "Jellal, is this the power you've been sensing?"

"No. It's actually completely different. Whatever it is, it can't be good." Jellal responded.

"How the hell do the game organizers expect one guy to fight by himself? This is ridiculous." Gajeel coolly remarked, fists clenched.

"This guy must have some serious abilities. Keep an eye open." Gray said as he pivoted his foot into a fighting stance.

_Normal POV_

It was at this point that Sol finally reached the end of the tunnel and entered the light. His presence struck fear into most of the audience, and even some of the contestants were taken aback.

"This guy looks like a demon!"

"Who the hell is this guy?"

"It looks like he's glowing!"

"I wonder what's with the outfit." Lucy exclaimed, her eyes scanning Sol up and down, fearing him. "The crowd is right; this guy looks like he's straight out of a book of Zeref."

In the stands above them, Makarov was taken aback. "I've never seen anyone like him in all my years in Fiore. First Master, do you know who he is?"

Mavis did not answer Makarov, simply looking down at Sol, remembering their encounter on Tenrou Island.

 _I hope your mission wasn't one to bring more violence into this world._

"That magic energy, it feels like he should be a dragon slayer, but it's off." Natsu frowned in confusion, looking at Sol with caution.

"You mean this guy is supposed to be another Dragon Slayer? That's so manly."

Elfman shouted with excitement. "I can't wait to fight him."

Sol, who had listened to the conversations he was approaching with little interest, spotted Mirajane amongst one of the groups of Fairy Tail wizards, catching her gaze, their eyes locking. The darkness that covered his face was soon replaced with eyes that glowed a dim orange, causing Mirajane to become frightened.

"Mira, what's wrong? Are you alright?" Juvia concernedly asked.

She snapped out of it. "What? I'm fine, sorry. Just spaced out for a second."

Sol turned his gaze away from her, the orange glow of his eyes fading with the move. He faced Fairy Tail B, who he was now standing in front of. Lifting his hood, they saw the face of what looked to be a young teenager, no older than Natsu, whose dark brown hair resembled Laxus's, minus the tuft at the center of his forehead, and glowed with the same orange color as his eyes, although it was faint. He had a slight scar running from the lower part of his left eye down to the cheekbone. The eyes themselves were brown, with a shape almost identical to Sting's. His eyebrows were thin, and his smile was small. He stood an inch or so taller than Gray, but it felt like he was a giant among ants. Natsu was the first to ask questions.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" He yelled, his fist engulfed in flames.

"Relax, Natsu. This man is another competitor in the Games, and we need to treat him with the same respect." Erza grabbed the back of Natsu's scarf and pulled him away from Sol. "I apologize for the behavior of my comrade. He's a bit hot-headed."

"No worries," Sol replied coolly, his voice quiet yet deep, "my name is Sol. It's nice to finally meet some of the other competitors. You must be Erza Scarlet?" Sol reached out to shake her hand.

She accepted the offer, noticing as she shook his hand how cold the gauntlet her wore was. "Indeed I am. Word must spread quickly around Fiore."

"It certainly does, doesn't it?" Sol chuckled slightly, nodding his head. "I had heard at one of the local inns that a red-haired warrior was entering the Games. I look forward to seeing you in action."

"You as well. From what I could tell when you walked in, it felt like you were a Dragon Slayer, like Natsu, but that feeling wasn't quite right." Erza looked upon Sol with curiosity. "Are you?"

"I suppose if you wish to call me a Dragon Slayer, you wouldn't be wrong. But I would have to agree with your intuition in saying that I do not quite fit that definition." Sol smirked contemptuously.

Their conversation was interrupted by the announcer, Chapati Lola. "We've kept everyone waiting long enough. It's about time we unveil the official schedule for this year's tournament!"

A massive stone slab with written text emerged from the ground, much to everyone's surprise. On it were seven days, each with an unknown event and a separate battle round each day. The fifth day differed, as it had a tag battle round set up as opposed to singles. Sol walked over to part of the coliseum wall and leaned back, fully taking in the rock and its contents. Today's event was called "Hidden."

 _Interesting. Seems like the Divines are smiling upon me today._

"Each one of the rounds will begin with a contest. Participants will then be ranked from first to ninth place. The teams will be awarded points depending on how they rank in the contest. Additionally, teams are allowed to select which of their members they want to compete." Lola's voice echoed through the arena.

"After that we have battles. These bouts should come as quite a treat to all you loyal fans, since it was your suggestions that created these matchups!"

Sol looked up and tilted his head slightly.

 _Hmm. I wonder how they're going to manage creating my matchups, given nobody quite knows who I am._

Lola continued to explain the rules. "The battle rules are simple: Each team will square off as shown here. The winning teams will be award ten points, while the losing teams get jack squat! In the case of a draw, both teams will be awarded five points."

"Our ninth participant has rules differing from the other eight teams. Since he is the lone member of his team, Sol will be participating in every event. First, second, and third place will earn him seven points, while fourth, fifth, and sixth place will earn him three. Anything below that earns him a big old goose egg! Of course, everyone who is placed one rank below him will earn the same amount of points they would have if he hadn't participated."

"As for battles, we have created a random magic simulation device that allows us to randomly replace a team with Sol. This means that over the course of the next four days, half of the teams participating will have Sol representing them. Because of the way points are earned, all of the points Sol earns in a draw will go to the team he's representing. A win splits the points between Sol and the team. And of course, a loss earns nothing."

 _Seems good enough to me. Guess the organizers thought I should be held to a higher standard since I came uninvited. Fair enough._

"No way! That guy just gets to take half of our points? That's crazy! He shouldn't be allowed to represent our guild, he doesn't even have our guild mark!" Natsu was outraged, his pointed teeth clenched in anger.

"Oh, relax, Natsu. I'm sure this is the fairest possible scenario the organizers could come up with, so let's just roll with it, alright?" Lucy seemed to be a bit embarrassed by Natsu's tirade, and he reluctantly agreed to calm down.

Again, Lola's voice boomed throughout the coliseum. "Ready for action? Let's get things started with the first contest of the Grand Magic Games, one that we call Hidden."

Sol simply stood around and observed the other guilds. Sabertooth seemed to be quite formidable, upon closer inspection. Their participating member, Rufus Lore, appeared to be a scholar of some sorts. Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus were talented in their own right, but he found some of their members to be odd. He found Quattro Cerberus to be particularly amusing, noting the similarities between them and some drunken Nords he had met at an inn about a year back. Mermaid Heel was a puzzling collection of women, but Sol assumed that being female took priority over magical ability. Raven Tail was quite a gloomy group, keeping to themselves and staring ominously at the Fairy Tail guild members.

 _Come to think of it, it's kind of odd strange seeing two teams from the same guild competing against one another. But I guess that comes with being Fairy Tail._

Sol walked over to the other contestants and prepared for Hidden. His presence wasn't lost on them, as some of the participants stepped away from him slightly, still fearing his demonic image.

"I'm ready to go. Let's get this party started."

With that, Mato threw his hands into the air, yelling, "Open the field!" With that, various buildings formed out of thin air around Sol. When they finished, he looked back down to notice that he was all alone on an empty street.

 _Where did they all go?_

As he finished his thought, a large amount of people formed around Sol. After a second of confusion, he realized that the other people were fellow contestants. He bowed his head and smiled after noticing that some of the copies were of him.

 _Ah. So, we're hiding and seeking at the same time. Excellent._

Chapati Lola only confirmed his suspicions by explaining the rules. Once he was done, Sol ducked into an alley and sat in the shadows. A few minutes passed before he decided to act. Transforming into his light form, he shot into the sky and searched for targets. Spotting Beth, Eve, and Yeager, he partially reformed his body, creating a limb where each contestant was and using it to strike them. With three points, he was sitting comfortably at third place.

 _Don't want to do too much. Best to keep my cards close to my chest. I think that should be good for know._

Sol then reformed his limbs into light and remained hovering in the sky. About fifteen minutes later, he spotted Rufus. He merely observed as the memory wizard called out to the heavens. "Night of Shooting Stars!"

Noticing multiple bolts of lightning shooting out from his body, Sol reformed his right arm next to Rufus, preparing to strike. He swung and missed. Reappearing behind him, Rufus calmly chuckled as he taunted, "That was merely your memory of me."

"Oh yeah? Two can play at that game." And with that, Sol's whole body reformed behind Rufus, the arm in front of him reforming on Sol's body. Stunned, Rufus tried to evade his next attack, but was unsuccessful, being hit squarely in the face and falling to the ground.

"And with that, the game is over!" The town suddenly started to disappear, and Sol finally fell to the ground, landing on his feet with the elegance and silence of a cheetah. Looking up at the scoreboard, he saw that he had managed to keep his third place spot in the game, which also put him at third overall in the competition. Fairy Tail hadn't fared well, with both teams stuck in eighth and ninth place. Receiving a small but acceptable cheer from the crowd, Sol did a small bow and walked back to his viewing box.

 _Now we'll have to wait and see who I'm up against. Should be fun._

As he walked past, Sol overheard some of the other contestants talking about him.

Beth Vanderwood: "Did you see that? He just appeared out of thin air!"

Sting: "How'd you let that guy touch you, man?"

Rufus: "A simple miscalculation, but nothing I couldn't afford. We still secured first place, and I've committed the attack to memory."

Natsu: "That guy must be seriously strong if he can just appear out of nowhere and hit someone."

Elfman: "That's so not manly!"

Erza: "We've only been through one contest and it seems he's already proven himself to be a formidable opponent. We should be further prepared in case we have to fight him."

Walking through the tunnel and into the darkness, a devilish smile formed across Sol's face. He had shown the world just a taste of what he was capable of. They had no clue what they were getting themselves into.

Reaching his box, which felt rather empty, we sat down and pulled up another chair to rest his feet upon. Resting his right elbow on the ledge of the box, he looked toward the commentator's booth, ready to hear who he would be fighting first.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will now randomly draw a team to see who Sol will represent in today's battles!" Lola then looked down to Mato, who appeared to be holding a cube of some sort. Inside of the cube was a small lacrima, which Sol presumed would project an image through the glass top, displaying the guild he would fight for. Mato simply held the cube at arm's length and activated it. Almost instantly, the eight different guild marks of each team flashed through a hologram-like image no larger than the cube itself. The image then disappeared for a brief second, revealing the Fairy Tail emblem with a letter B in the middle of it.

"Well, it looks like Sol will be representing Fairy Tail Team B in today's battles. Stay tuned for more!"

Sol turned his head to look at the Fairy Tail mages. He saw mixed reactions from each of them. Gajeel frowned, Laxus ignored him, Juvia looked on nervously, Mystogan studied him intensely, and then there was her. Mirajane. She seemed to be completely frightened of him, her cheeks turning red. Not wanting to scare her further, Sol turned his gaze toward the arena, awaiting the first battle with interest.

 _Damn. Maybe I should try to be less intimidating._

Sol suddenly found himself worrying about what he would say to Mirajane when he got the chance. He needed to be on good terms with her if he would ask her to help him with Serana. All of this thought made him tired, and Sol fell asleep thinking of the white-haired mage from Fairy Tail.

He woke up with a start. The crowd's roar was tremendous. Looking down, Sol saw that Olga was on the field, walking away from a defeated Warcry. Wondering how many matches had passed, he looked up at the scoreboard and took a minute to calculate scores.

 _Hmm. I must be up next._

Standing up in the box, he waited anxiously to hear who he'd be fighting.

Lola didn't keep him waiting long. "And now, for our final match of the day, it's going to be Sol from Fairy Tail B…" The crowd let out a mild cheer, pleased with Sol's earlier performance. "…versus Lamia Scale's Jura Neekis!" The crowd went berserk.

 _Damn. It feels like an earthquake is coming on. Jura must be pretty popular here._

Leaping down from the box, Sol slammed into the ground with force. He wanted to remind everyone just how little they knew. Walking forward to meet Jura, who had entered from a tunnel on the far-end, Sol stopped a good distance away from the Wizard Saint and simply bowed in respect.

"I wish you good luck in our fight. I'm sure it will be an excellent one." Jura returned the bow with one of his own.

"I'm sure it will. I look forward to showing the people of Fiore my power." Sol smiled as the words slithered out of his mouth, the subtle venom not lost on Jura.

"Alright you two. You've got thirty minutes. Let the battle begin!"

Jura was the first to attack. "Iron Rock Fist!" A giant pillar erupted from the ground, a stone the shape of a fist at its head. Barreling towards Sol, he simply stood there, waiting. Smiling.

 _Fool._

Putting out one hand, he stopped the fist dead in its tracks. The crowd went silent. It was unbelievable, this mysterious man blocking a strike from a Wizard Saint with only one hand.

"My turn." Rearing back his right fist as his left held the rock pillar, Sol punched through the middle of the fist, shattering the whole pillar to pieces. Everyone was stunned.

"No way! Could your armor do that Erza?" Gray was in utter disbelief.

"It's unlikely. What's more unsettling is just how hard he can hit. Jura's Earth Magic is unbelievably strong, it would take quite a strong mage to make even a scratch. And he obliterated it." Erza's fist was clenched at her side, unable to comprehend the strength she had just witnessed.

"I can't seem to find anything on the armor. It's totally unique." Levy, as usual, had a book in hand. This one was on various armors found throughout Earthland.

"You're saying there's nothing like it at all? How's Jura supposed to beat him?" Romeo said, his voice faltering at the end.

"Don't count Jura out just yet, children. As a fellow Wizard Saint, I know just how powerful he is. I find it unlikely that he'll simply give up now." Makarov's voice relieved some of the tension, but even he looked a bit worried. "Just be glad that he's representing Fairy Tail this round."

Down on the battlefield, Jura shook off this momentary setback. "Impressive. Now let's see if your strength truly measures up. Supreme King Rock Crush!"

What appeared to be hundreds of boulders shot out of the ground and hurtled toward Sol. Again, he stood his ground. Nobody could tell from far away, but his smile grew.

 _How long until they learn?_

The rocks piled up around Sol, almost swallowing him. Then, as if out of nowhere, Sol was standing on top of the rocks, standing with contempt.

"I grow bored of this fight, Wizard Saint." Sol walked slowly down the rubble, his hands behind his back in a commanding fashion. "In fact, I'm so bored, I'm leaving this fight right now. Take your points and know that, in the end, they are meaningless. I've won in spirit, that's good enough for me."

Jura stood in absolute shock. "You're just going to leave the fight? Why bother joining the competition?"

"Do you not yearn to prove yourself in combat as I do? Perhaps you aren't worthy of the title of Wizard Saint after all."

Stunned, Chapati Lola called the match for Jura, earning him ten points. Fairy Tail was barely able to contain themselves, enraged at the act. Only their fear of Sol's power kept them in the stands.

_Mirajane's POV_

As Sol walked away from the fight, his gaze turned towards Mirajane. Immediately terrified, she ran out of the viewing box, barely holding back tears.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"Mira, what's wrong?"

"Why is she crying?"

Mirajane ignored the voices of her guildmates, running through the halls, away from her fears.

 _I've gotta get away from him._


	7. Day Two

Chapter Seven: Day Two

Sol had a pretty uneventful evening. He had gotten more than a few glances as he walked past the locals toward the inn, but he paid them no attention. He had only one person on his mind.

 _Mirajane. What am I going to do with her? Just looking at her seems to scare her, how am I supposed to start a conversation?_

It was now morning, and the second day of the Grand Magic Games was underway. Chapati Lola's voice could be heard throughout the city, echoing through the streets. "It's Day Two of the Grand Magic Games and the stands are exploding with excitement!" Sol could hear the roar of the crowd like he was right in front of them, and he was busy running across a moving platform, part of the day's event: Chariots.

"Let's get back to the action already in progress as our wizards take on the Chariots! The point of this game is to reach the final goal without falling off. Simple, right? Wrong! The Chariots are constantly in motion, and though it's at a snail's pace, one false move could cost you! Which team will survive this rough and tumble sight-seeing tour of Crocus and be the first to cross the finish line?"

Sol had passed the other contestant a while ago and decided to slow down to a light jog. He needed to conserve whatever energy he had for the fights later in the day. Not that it mattered much to him.

 _None of them could beat me. Even now, I'm not using my Thu'um or Skooma to finish. Seems all those treks up and down the mountains paid off. Amateurs._

Sol saw the finish line and easily passed through. First place, and another seven points. He looked up at the crowd, which seemed be more open to him now than from yesterday. Some had even made banners with his name on it.

 _Yeah, you better root for me. Not like you'll have much of a choice if you're rooting for the favorite._

Sol looked up at a nearby scoreboard showing everyone the point totals so far. Only yesterday's scores had been tallied so far, but he felt comfortable knowing his standing would rise. As it currently stood, the following scores were:

First – Sabertooth, 20

Second – Raven Tail, 18

Third – Lamia Scale, 16

Fourth – Blue Pegasus, 14

Fifth – Sol, 7

Sixth – Mermaid Heel, 3

Seventh – Quatro Cerberus, 2

Eighth – Fairy Tail B, 1

Ninth – Fairy Tail A, 0

Sol walked back up to his viewing box and sat, waiting for his next fight.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, the daily drawing of who Sol will represent in today's battle portion!" Chapati Lola motioned to Mato, who held out the device once more, the same guild marks flashed through, minus the one from Fairy Tail B. After a brief wait, a blue horse with wings on both sides popped up. "Well, it looks like Sol is fighting for Blue Pegasus this round!"

Sol looked over at the Blue Pegasus viewing box. From what he had read and heard about them from around town, they were a guild that focused on its looks more than anything else. With that in mind, he summoned forth a pair of ragged trousers. Sol decided that he'd play the part of the guild he'd represent, and so he worked on fixing the tattered clothing during the a upcoming matches.

Sol didn't think much of the first two fights. The only part of either match he found notable was the end of the second fight. Both Elfman and Bacchus had fought to their limit, and Elfman somehow managed to pull off the upset. The side bet was what particularly intrigued him.

 _Perhaps I'll make a small wager of my own during the next fight._

He soon got his wish. Lola announced the next match. "And now it's time for our third match of the day. From Blue Pegasus, it's Sol!" A large cheer from the crowd. It seemed that he had grown on the crowd.

"And from Fairy Tail Team B, it's Mirajane Strauss!"

 _…you have got to be kidding me…_

Sol looked over at Mirajane, who seemed to have zoned out completely. The rest of the Fairy Tail guild members looked upon him with silent anger.

 _Seems the rest of them haven't forgotten yesterday that easily. Damn._

Sol quickly shrouded himself from view and undressed, putting on his new outfit. It still bore the orange that seemed to be his theme, but it was much less prevalent in comparison to the silver and black. His new robes flowing, he jumped down, one knee and fist shattering the ground beneath him. Rising, he looked in front of him. Mirajane was already at the center of the arena, fists clenched but slightly trembling.

"I don't think we've formally met. My name is Sol." He tilted his head slightly to the left, a smile creeping across his face.

"I know who you are. I don't care." Mirajane moved in a fighting stance, knees and elbows bent, teeth clenched with a face of determination and anger. "We're here to fight, not chat."

"To each their own, I suppose. Before we start, I figured I'd try to strike a wager, like the previous competitors." Sol walked forward slowly, approaching Mira. "If I win, I want you to sit with me up in my box tomorrow during the battle round."

"Alright, fine." Mira took a slight step back, never letting her guard down. "If you lose, you have to tell everyone why you're really here."

Sol's smile widened. "Deal."

During this exchange of words, Mato had appeared on the field, though his height made him go unnoticed by Sol or Mira. "Alright, you've got thirty minutes. Good luck!"

A gong rang out, and it was time to fight. Mira wasted no time transforming into her Satan Soul form, lashing out at Sol with profound rage. Her power was not lost on him, as he barely dodged the blow. In an instant, his body turned to light and he disappeared into the wind.

Mira looked around, searching for her opponent. It didn't take her long. Seeing a shimmer of light to her left, she charged up a purple colored orb, throwing it at the light. "Evil Explosion!" the orb zipped past the light and hit the arena wall.

"Man, that was really something." Sol reappeared next the hole in the arena wall. "You almost hit me." His smile hadn't left.

Infuriated, Mira switched into her newest Satan Soul form, Sitri, and dashed toward Sol, fist ready to punch a hole through the man. The attack didn't faze him. As she approached, Sol simply shifted out of the way, faster than it took Mira to readjust. Her fist slammed into the stone next to him, cratering under the pressure.

Sol looked Mirajane in the eyes, taunting her with amusement. "Did you really think I was going to let you hit me?" He grabbed Mirajane by the back of the neck and forced her to her knees. "I hope you realize there's no way your winning this fight."

But Sol hadn't been paying close enough attention. Mirajane had expected him to grab her, countering with a kick as she rolled backward from her knees. Sol staggered back, hitting the wall with a soft thud.

 _You're gonna make me do this the hard way, huh? I was considering forfeiting the match again._

Sol crouched and jumped at blinding speed towards Mira. As he reached her, he halfway reformed into his original body, passing his right arm through Mira's torso while still doing damage. Clutching her stomach, she fell to her knees, wincing in tremendous pain.

"See? It's over." Sol walked back over to her, hands in his pockets, looking upon her with contempt. "Give up." Mira looked up at him, fear showing through the masquerade that was her Sitri form. Without thinking, she blindly struck out at his chest, yet again hitting him with his guard down.

Big mistake.

Sol staggered backward more profoundly now, the front of his robes ripped away. He looked down and froze. Confused, the audience was in silence. Had Mira found his weakness? Upon closer inspection, the spectators saw a blue light emitting from Sol's chest, rising into the air and dissipating with the wind.

Sol shed a single tear, which caught up and hit a broken shard of the soul gem that had just lost power. The thin gold chain he had it on slid around the back of his neck to the left, falling in a straight line, forming a small pile as it hit the ground with an inaudible bounce.

Big. Mistake.

Sol went to his knees, tears now streaming down his face. He covered his face in his hands as he cried out in anguish. Looking up, he saw Mira standing there confused. His sadness quickly turned to unbridled anger. Glaring lividly upon her, Sol got up to a crouch and jumped through the air like a missile, now hovering above the coliseum.

Breathing in, Sol crossed his arms into an x and prepared to shout. "You're gonna regret that, Mirajane." Sol's words travelled through clenched teeth to her ears, causing her to tremble in fear. She braced herself for whatever attack was coming.

" **FUS RO DAH!** " Sol released the Thu'um upon Earthland for the first time, and the results were tremendous. Few would know it, but he had focused his Voice to only project towards Mira, ensuring only she would receive any of the attack's effects. The pillar of pure force cut through the air so quickly the atmosphere caught fire around it, killing any unfortunate bird in its path. Luckily for the city, the temperature didn't change enough to create the tornado Sol had been able to create only twice before. Mira could only put up her hands in self-defense.

The blast hit all around Mira, creating a crater in the ground twenty feet wide and three feet deep. The ground inside the crater crumbled to sand, some of it turning to glass under the pressure and temperature. Dust kicked up from the impact and spread around the arena, blocking everyone's vision.

Sol calmed down slightly, lowering his shoulders and exhaling slightly. Through the dust, a light blue haze caught his eye, and it left him confused.

 _Could she really have blocked the Thu'um? That's crazy._

Sol floated down to the ground and into the cloud of dust, which had yet to settle. Sol walked towards the haze, and as he got closer, his uneasiness increased.

 _There's no way…_

On closer inspection, Sol saw that the blue light was a circle, which very closely resembled a ward. As the dust settled, he saw a hand in the middle of the ward, and his heartbeat stopped.

 _It can't be…_

When the dust finally cleared, it in fact was. The hand was hers. The arm was hers. The clothing, the face, the eyes, everything was hers. She was standing where Mira had been standing, her eyes staring into his was longing. His pupils shrank as the realization hit him.

S _erana._


	8. Flash Forward

Chapter 8: Flash Forward

 _She stood atop a hill, hair waving in the wind, just outside the city of Crocus. One hand on her hip, she watched as Sol floated above the Domas Flau coliseum, prepared to attack his target. Then, almost out of nowhere, she had managed to secure herself a seat inside the coliseum. Sitting down next to a couple of random citizens, she watched the fight continue. It seemed, however, that she had missed a majority of the action. It turned out that Sol's breath attack would be the only thing she saw from him that day. Not that she didn't find it spectacular or anything, it was truly a sight to behold. But she had hoped to see more._

 _Standing up, she walked out of the arena towards the inn she knew Sol was staying at, biding her time._

_Sol's POV_

Sol woke up in the infirmary. He wasn't in pain, but felt groggy, as if he had slept a long time. He wiped his eyes and sat up, blinking a couple of times to focus. Mirajane was sitting at his bedside, along with some of the other Fairy Tail members. Mixed faces met his, some angry, some worried, some smiling. He looked down at the bed sheets.

"What happened?" He tried to avoid their gaze, wanting to recover in peace.

"After the transformation, you fainted, and the judges called the fight. It was Master Makarov's idea to bring you here." Mira held her hands in her lap, holding shards of the soul gem that had previously graced Sol's neck. "Though Laxus was the one that carried you."

"Don't mention it." Laxus folded his arms and looked away scowling. He wasn't quite ready to forgive Sol for his actions, and he didn't expect him to.

 _Serana…_

"I need to speak with Mira alone, if you don't mind." Sol looked forward with a worried look on his face.

"No way, pal. You think we're gonna just trust you after you lost us points yesterday!" Natsu raised a fist up in the air, igniting it in flames. "I swear, you've got some nerve!"

"Natsu, calm down!" Lucy grabbed Natsu's shoulder, holding him back. "I'm sure that was just part of his strategy. Right?"

"That's right. And that's all I'm willing to tell you right now." Sol nodded, his eyes shut in contemplation. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to speak with Mira."

"Very well. I will stand outside and make sure he doesn't try anything." Erza looked towards the door, urging her guildmates to join her in leaving Mira and Sol alone. "Understand?"

"Of course. I never meant to be any real trouble to your guild." Sol gave Erza a look that inspired confidence in his words. Nodding, Erza ushered her guildmates out, shutting the door behind her once everyone had left.

Sol turned his attention to Mira, who was now looking at him warily. "I assume you've got questions ready for me? Fire away."

"Who are you? And don't just tell me your name." Mira leaned forward slightly, her fists still clenching at the fragments in her hands. "And why are you here?"

"My full name is Sol Aevum, and I'm from a world called Nirn. From what I can tell, it's quite different from this world."

Mira gasped in shock, leaning back in her chair. "You're not from Earthland?"

"Unless you know where I could find the continent of Tamriel here, yes." Sol looked down, realizing just now how truly alone he was.

"I don't think so." Mira frowned, looking down at the floor. "Alright, well what about your magic? From what I can tell it's got something to do with light."

Sol put up both of his hands, palms facing toward his face. "Yeah, but light is only a part of it." He put his hands down, looking at Mira. "From what I've read on the magic of this world, mine would be a combination of light, fire, gravity, spatial, and heavenly body magic. Back home they call me The Sun Prince."

Mira looked directly into Sol's eyes, and this time she felt more awe struck than frightened. "Five different magic types? That's crazy! Most wizards here can only use one!"

"Again, I'm not from here. That fact should've made things less surprising." Sol lied back on the bed rest, hands behind his head. "But enough about me. I want to know how you transformed into Serana."

"That's her name?" Mira tilted her head, apparently confused by such an odd name. "Well, to be honest, I hadn't planned on it." She shifted in her seat, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. "It just happened."

"But you've done it. That's all that matters." Sol leaned back up, now flipping his legs over the side of the bed to a sitting position. "Can you do it again?" He leaned forward, staring intensely at Mira.

"Oh, if it's anything like my other soul forms, I'm sure I can. One second." Mira closed her eyes and focused her magical energy, trying to recreate Serana's form. A light purple haze grew around her, and she started to transform.

But the effect quickly faded, and the face Sol stared at still belonged to Mira.

"What's wrong? Am I making you uncomfortable?" Sol backed up, raising his hands in submission.

"No, your fine." Mira scratched her head. "I think maybe I just don't have the energy for it right now. Our fight was only a couple of hours ago."

Sol chuckled quietly. "Has it only been a couple of hours? You certainly don't look like you just fought."

Mira smiled. "Thank you. You don't look so bad either." She got up and handed Sol the shards. "Sorry about breaking this."

"Oh, of course. I'm sure you would've done differently if given the opportunity." Sol got up and instinctively hugged Mira. He didn't see it, but she blushed. "I'm just glad Serana is okay."

"Yeah." Mira smiled. For being afraid of him only hours ago, she felt his embrace was surprisingly comforting. He seemed to give off a golden radiance, befitting his nickname.

Sol ended the hug, grabbed some of his things off of a nearby table, and started to head out. Mira, confused by this, grabbed his shoulder. "Wait! Where are you going?"

"I think I'm gonna head back to the inn I've been staying at. I'll feel much more comfortable there." He gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, we'll have plenty to talk about tomorrow."

Letting go, Mira smiled back at him and waved him goodbye. Sol opened the door and walked out, where he met Erza.

"Satisfied?" Sol crossed his arms as he stared down the armored wizard.

"For now." Erza put away a lacrima she had used to record the conversation. "I'm sorry for invading your privacy like that, but we had to be sure you weren't a threat to Mira."

"No, I understand." Sol put up his hands defensively, raising his eyebrows in contempt. "That doesn't mean I won't go all out during the rest of the Games. Count on it."

"I'd expect nothing less from a man of your strength." Erza nodded, silently studying Sol.

 _So, he uses five different types of magic? Unbelievable._

"Actually, I can use dozens of types of magic. Those just fit my fighting style best." Sol chuckled, seemingly hearing Erza's thoughts. Her look seemed to give it away.

"I've never heard of such power before. Natsu was able to consume Laxus's lightning back on Tenrou Island, but only because the situation called for it. To utilize just two different types is impressive enough, but five? It's truly remarkable."

"Yeah, well I guess I'll have to put on a little display tomorrow, just for you." Sol leaned forward, smiling as he got close to Erza's face. "Hope you're ready."

Erza didn't say anything. With that, Sol turned around and walked down the hallway. With a wave of his right hand behind him, he slowly vanished into the light, ending the conversation.

 __?__

 _She walked up to the door of the inn and opened it. There were a few citizens inside watching the last match of the day unfold on a lacrima, but she paid them no attention. She walked up to the innkeeper, who was busy cleaning a few used mugs._

 _"Tell me, which room is Sol staying in?" She leaned forward, resting one elbow on the bar._

 _The man turned around. "I'm sorry, miss, but the Magic Council has instructed me to not tell anyone that information."_

 _The woman smiled and nodded her head. "Fair enough." She put down 100 Jewel before walking away from the bar, towards the stairs. The man looked down at the money for a moment but didn't pick it up. Rather, he simply stood there, staring at the cash with a rag and mug in his hands. The patrons of the bar had gone silent, their eyes fixated on the lacrima showing the battle._

 _She looked up at the stairs and smiled. "This should be fun. I wonder how much time it would take to figure out which room was his?"_

_Sol's POV_

Sol entered the inn with surprisingly no issue. He was expecting to be stopped by a group of fans, perhaps to get an autograph, but nobody seemed to care.

 _Fine by me._

He entered the inn and looked around. The innkeeper was cleaning an empty glass, looking down on what appeared to be a tip left by a customer. Some of the locals were watching what appeared to be a recap of the last match of the day. Yukino vs Kagura, it looked like. They seemed to be extremely focused on it, not bothering to look up and see who had just entered.

 _Odd._

Shrugging it off, he walked upstairs to his room. Typically, he would have simply flown, but he was starting to enjoy the relative peace surrounding the city. Crocus was far nicer than any city in Skyrim, perhaps even in Tamriel. Not that it was without flaw. He noticed that with the increased population came an increase in vendors. He found it difficult on the first day to traverse through the marketplace near the inn, but he had worked out an alternate route to get to and from the Domas Flau without much traffic in his spare time.

Reaching the door to his room, on the twelfth floor, he waved his hand at the lock and opened the door. This was a trick he was quite fond of. He learned about two years ago that he could simply manipulate the light around the door into a key for any lock. It made lockpicking back in Skyrim a piece of cake.

Opening the door, he walked over his bed and sat down. He took his shirt off, revealing a toned, muscular build underneath. He was somewhere between Elfman and Gray in size, though he was probably closer to Gray. A scar ran from his left pectoral down to his upper right abdomen, one he had sustained while fighting Durnehviir. Tossing his robes onto the floor, he laid on the left side of his back, resting his head on a pillow, and tried to sleep.

 _Funny how being knocked out makes you tired. Shouldn't it be the other way around…_

"You know, when I had heard the rumors, I couldn't believe it." Sol shot up straight and turned around to his right. Laying there was a woman, wearing a hood of some kind. "A man who could disappear into thin air was also somehow strong enough to shatter a pillar of rock with one hand? From a Wizard Saint, no less?"

"Who are you?! How did you get in here?!" Sol got out of bed and stood up, fists clenched and raised slightly above the waist.

"But then earlier today, I saw you literally almost shout someone to death. Color me impressed." The woman propped her head up with her arm, resting at the elbow. "And now, looking at you, I can see why some of the local girls fawn over you. Where'd you get a scar like that?"

"I got it while slaying a dragon." Sol clenched his teeth, fists tightening with anger. "Now answer my question, or you'll be next."

"Woah, woah, settle down, big guy. I'm not here to fight." She slowly lowered her hood, revealing golden yellow eyes and short blonde hair, with a small chin and devious, almost seductive smile. "I just wanted to offer you a job."

"What? What kind of job? This is ridiculous. How did you get in here?!" Sol wasn't in the mood to flirt.

"Do you really think you're the only person in the world who knows how to pick locks? Now sit down and hear me out so I can be on my way. I've actually got other things to do after this, you know."

"Look, I don't know what it is you think you can offer me, but I'm in not position to take up any jobs right now. Now get lost."

"The job isn't for right now. It actually isn't for quite some time. You don't have to start until you're sure you're ready." She held out a card of some kind. Sol took it and inspected it. It seemed to be a business card of some kind, but the only thing on it was what appeared to be some sort of crown with spikes around it. "There are twelve of us, and we're hoping that you'll be lucky number thirteen."

"I don't understand." Sol held out the card. "There isn't anything on here."

"That's our symbol, our guild mark if you will. It's how we tell who's who. All you need to know is if you head West from here for a while, you'll reach a continent whose land is covered in that symbol. All you have to do is find the city we're located in and show the men at the front gate that card."

"And how will I know which city that is?"

"Don't worry, it's the biggest one around. You'll know it when you see it."

"And when do I need to be there?"

"Whenever you're ready to let go of your pass, come find us."

"And who are you? What's your name? How did you know to contact me? I have so many questions."

"You won't need to know my name or the name of our group until you join. And let's just say my boss has had first hand experience with your level of power."

 _First hand experience? Well that certainly narrows it down a bit…_

"Well, I'm gonna be going now." The woman got up out of the bed and walked toward Sol. Then, more surprising than anything he had heard or experienced thus far, she kissed him straight on the mouth. His eyes widened in shock as he started to blush. Confused, he could only turn around and stare as the girl walked out of the room. She turned around, leaving him with one last remark. "Don't keep me waiting, Sol. It'd be a real shame if I spent all this time for nothing."

And with that, she left. Sol was left completely baffled.

 _What… Just… Happened?_

 **AN: Hey guys, sorry I've been super late on these past couple of chapters. There are two main reasons for this, the first being that I'm really focused on getting these last couple of months of school wrapped up so I can head off to college. The second being that I've actually been more focused on watching the new Fairy Tail episodes to actually work on this story. I feel like every week I end up wanting to watch rather than write, and it's just taking away my focus.**

 **That being said, here's the new chapter! This one was personally my favorite to write, especially with the introduction of Sol's possible love interest for the foreseeable future...? I'm really looking forward to finishing up this arc and moving on the arcs after this, or potentially pursuing a completely new arc set in between two canon arcs. Should be fun. As always, feel free to leave a review, I love to hear feedback from you, and I really do take it all into consideration when writing.**

 **Much Love,**

 **Orthrus**


	9. Refract

Chapter 9: Refract

 _What…Just…Happened?_

Sol had gotten back in bed after his conversation with the stranger, but sleep evaded him. He couldn't help but think about her. The way she talked, her little recruitment pitch, and that kiss at the end…

 _Oh, come on, man! Really? You're the Last Dragonborn! Focus._

Sitting up, he snapped his fingers together. On the nightstand next to his bed, a candle ignited into action, slowly melting away. Sol crossed his legs together and sat his typical meditative position, forearms resting on his knees, open palms facing downward. But rather than close his eyes and try to drift away, he simply stared straight ahead, out the window to the left of the bed. Earthland's moon was out tonight, and Sol noticed it was almost full in appearance, save for a little sliver of shadow cutting into the edge.

 _You've gotta get your priorities straight. There are too many things going on right now for you to deal with._

Raising his right arm and pointing out with his index finger, he wrote with light in the air in front of him. Letting out a deep sigh, he began to work on his list.

1\. Get Serana's soul out of Mira and into her own (or a suitable replacement if hers can't be recreated)

2\. Win the Grand Magic Games

3\. Figure out what the card is really for, and who that girl is

Pulling the small card out of a pocket dimension, he looked at it again, hoping to see if he could find some significance to the symbol. After two minutes of flipping, bending, and angling the card, he decided that the symbol was indeed just a crown.

His mind flashed back to the stranger. He couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed at the thought of her kissing him. While he had planned to ask Serana to marry him, it wasn't like he had ever expected any physical connection between them. He had always felt contact with others was only necessary during confrontation or reassurance, not love. And it certainly wasn't like he planned to ever have children of his own. He didn't even know if it was possible, a vampire and a dragonborn creating life. Something about it just felt off.

But there he was, thinking about the brief intimacy he had shared with someone he had only met three hours ago. Part of him felt that the gesture had been insincere, perhaps to throw him off balance, to destabilize him.

 _Well, it worked. Congratulations._

But another part of him, for some reason, felt like it had been sincere, that she had meant every word of what she said. He hadn't given his own appearance much thought before now. Sure, he made a conscious effort to keep clean (he could eliminate most dirt or blemishes simply by moving in and out of his light form, a term he liked to call refracting) but it had been out of self respect, not to impress others. And now he knew that at least one person took notice.

 _Do I really have time to be in a relationship with someone? Hell, where would I even start?_

Scenarios began popping into Sol's mind. Going to the beach with her, eating out at restaurants, going to formal parties, relaxing by a fireplace. As he continued thinking of any future he might have with the girl, another, more familiar face came to mind.

 _Mirajane._

He hadn't considered her before now. It never occurred to him that Mira could have feelings for him. After all, they had fought each other, and it seemed like she feared him more than anything. But they had hugged back in the infirmary.

 _That hug wasn't because I like her. I felt the need to lessen her uneasiness, that's all. To make her more confident in me, to make her believe me. Besides, I only need her to free Serana._

This thought process, while not completely reassuring, mostly convinced him that he could not, or rather should not, love Mira. Satisfied, his thoughts turned back to his visitor.

 _Didn't she mention something about letting go of my past? Hmm…_

He spent a solid half an hour thinking through it. It was nearly impossible she knew anything about him or his past in Nirn. After all, she seemed to closely mirror the physical and societal attributes of those in Earthland. Beyond that, he had been stuck on Tenrou Island for seven years while that spell protected it from Acnologia's attack. It seemed quite unlikely that she'd have learned anything from then. Unless…

 _Zeref! It's him!_

He had just figured out who she had been referencing earlier. After all, it was unlikely Jura or Mira, or anyone from the Grand Magic Games had someone like her under their employ. And the several months Sol had spent spying on Fairy Tail to gain information after Tenrou was in isolation, as distant from the group as effectively possible. Which meant the only person who could have truly felt Sol's power "first hand" had to be Zeref.

 _I figured you hadn't forgotten about me. Seems you couldn't finish me off, so you want me to work for you. Typical._

Sol was so annoyed by the idea that Zeref would seemingly go from attempted murder to alliance in such a short time that he actually scoffed aloud. He had encountered enough people like that for one lifetime back in Skyrim.

Holding his hand out, palm open, he manipulated the light around him to recreate the image of the girl. Getting up out of bed, he walked to the door, to study her.

 _Hell, if I'm gonna be with someone, might as well figure out what I like and don't like about 'em._

He circled around the projection several times, each time taking note of a different feature of her figure. She seemed to be wearing some sort of bra, exposing her stomach, and baggy pants rolled up to the knees.

 _Seems ineffective in a fight, but to each their own, I suppose._

Her right arm was armored in a golden colored metal and engraved in the shoulder plate was the same symbol from the business card.

 _She couldn't be bothered to make a whole set? Odd._

Most surprisingly to Sol was the fact that his mystery guest didn't appear to be wearing any shoes. But, then again, he had noticed some citizens around Crocus also went barefoot.

 _Maybe that's normal? Weird._

Each time he circled around her Sol found himself becoming more and more fascinated by her appearance. Something about her body language just screamed confidence, like she was always the strongest person in the room. Suddenly, he got an idea.

 _It hasn't been too long… perhaps I could still find her._

Sol transformed yet again into his own world, becoming one with the light around him. Shooting up into the sky, he did a quick scan of the city. Nothing.

 _Damn. Guess I'll have to keep looking._

It didn't take him long. She was on the outskirts of town, sitting under a tree on a hill overlooking the city. It appeared to him that she was asleep.

 _Well, here goes nothing…_

_?_

 _She found herself on all fours, beaten. Powerless. She tried to move, but she couldn't. It was all too much for her. No matter what she tried, they always seemed to come out on top. Tears rolled down her cheeks unchecked, like a dam that had busted open._

 _She looked up. There he was, standing in front of her. She looked surprised to see his hand reaching down to her, giving her the opportunity to stand again. She took it._

 _"It's okay, Dimaria. I'm here. They can't hurt you anymore." He put his hand on the back of her head, gently stroking her hair, which had been dirtied in the fight._

 _She couldn't help but be sad. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that they beat her._

 _"I know." She buried her face in his chest, feeling the warmth of his robes. He was all she cared about anymore. Not this fight, not the mission, nothing. Just him._

 _"I'll always protect you. I promise." She pulled her face away to see his, and the happiness that it displayed only made her sadder. She put her face back to his chest, quietly sobbing._

 _She noticed that he had started to pull something out of his pocket. Looking down, she saw the necklace he had given her before. God, that felt like so long ago._

 _"You dropped this." He put the necklace in her hands, and she felt it radiate in her hands. "Try to hold onto it this time, okay?" He smiled, brushing the hair away from her face with his hand._

 _She laughed a bit. "Yeah, sorry." She squeezed him tighter, holding him close. "Please come back to me."_

 _"I will." He planted a kiss on her forehead, then left her embrace to face their enemy one last time. He looked down to the ground, the protective instincts inside of him taking over. When he looked up, when he finally came face to face with them after not seeing one another for what felt like years, the glow of his eyes shifted from orange to red._

"Hey." She woke up, jumping at the sound. It was Sol.

_Sol's POV_

"Oh, hello. You scared me." The girl looked up to him, and for the briefest second the look in her eyes was an innocent one, full of compassion and trust. It quickly faded. "Well, guess it didn't take you long to let go of your past."

"I'm not here for the job." Sol crossed his arms. "I just came her because I wanted someone to talk to."

That seemed to take her by surprise. She blushed. "Oh. I don't know if I'm the person you should really be talking to. Don't you have friends you could go to for your problems?"

"No, actually, I don't. Not yet, anyway." He sat down next to her, leaning up against the tree. "Besides, it seemed like you wanted to talk earlier but couldn't."

"Well, yeah, I've got to get back home. There's a job waiting for me, and it takes at least a week to get here." She looked at him much like a misunderstood child would, trying to explain to an adult why something was without having the right words to say.

"Don't worry about that. I could get you home in a few seconds if I wanted to." Sol looked at her smugly. "That is, if you ask nicely."

"Why didn't you say that earlier?!" Annoyed, she yelled at him like she would a friend.

He yelled right back with the same annoyance. "Well maybe you should've asked earlier!" Looking down and scratching his head, he blushed. "S-sorry about that. I don't mean to be rude."

"It's okay. I get it. Next time I'll ask." She looked ahead, out at the city. "So what'd you want to talk about?"

"Well, I guess knowing your name would be a good place to start." He looked at her with a kind expectance.

"Sorry, but I'm under orders from my boss not to tell you who I am." She shook her head, still looking out at the horizon.

"Oh, so I assume you were also under orders when you decided to kiss me before you left?" He crossed his arms, awaiting her counterargument defiantly.

She didn't give one. Mostly because now she was really blushing. "Fair enough." She put her hand out for him to shake, finally turning to look him in the eyes. "Dimaria."

 _Dimaria._

Sol was taken aback by this. Now that he knew her name, it made her all the more beautiful to him. He gently took her hand and shook it, knowing all too well that a handshake wasn't quite what either of them had in mind at the moment. "Sol."

"I know." Dimaria leaned her head back against the tree. "And now you know my name, which means I'll probably be chewed out when I get home. Anything else you need?"

"Well, since you can stay now for the next few days, I'd like you to stay and watch me during the Games."

"I don't know if I can. I was also told to try and keep myself hidden from certain people around here."

"Oh, that's not a problem either. I've got just the thing." Sol reached into his pocket dimension, spending several seconds rummaging through his things. When he finally found what he was looking for, he pulled it out and reached out to give it to Dimaria. She let out a sudden gasp, like she had seen a ghost.

"What's wrong? Don't tell me now you're afraid of one little necklace?" Sol teased her, laughing at the notion. "Anyways, I used to use this necklace as a kid, before I learned any magic. It turns the wearer invisible. Found it on the street."

"Oh, thanks." Still awestruck, Dimaria held out her hand to take the necklace. Now sitting in her hand, she felt Sol's warmth and radiance beaming out of the necklace. The sudden urge to cry hit her again, but this time it was real. Teary eyed, she instinctively clutched to Sol, hugging him fiercely.

Confused, Sol could do nothing but return the hug. "Uh… yeah… of course. No problem." He looked to his left, where Dimaria's head was, finding comfort in her hair occasionally hitting his face as it blew in the wind. "Now that you've got that, you should be able to sit in the viewing booth with me tomorrow without being seen."

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she released her grip of him. "Yeah, that sounds great." She smiled at him, her tears mostly gone, save for one that had run down from her left eye. "Thank you for coming here tonight, Sol."

"Thanks for having me." He took his right hand wiped away the tear. "If you want, I could take you back to the inn and you could room with me for the night?"

"Okay." She grabbed his hand, and they zipped across the sky together. Landing back in his room, Dimaria let out a sigh. "That was nice. I've never done anything like that before."

Sol was preparing his clothes for tomorrow. "I do it all the time. Helps me refresh myself so I can focus." He lied down on the bed, pulling the cover over his body. "I'm going to bed now, feel free to stay up as long as you like."

Dimaria went into the other room and changed into a set of black and red pajamas. She got into bed on Sol's right and tucked herself in. Facing him, she put her right arm around Sol, laying behind in and pressing close to him. And together they fell asleep.

 **AN: Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know it's a bit more on the romance side, but I promise there will definitely be more action in the coming chapters. I felt this was a really important chapter to write, just because it gives a lot of insight as to the motivations and feelings that Sol and Dimaria are both going through, and why they seemingly get together so quickly. Next chapter will focus more on Day Three of the Games, so I'm looking forward to writing it. Hopefully you do too! Feel free to leave a review!**

 **Also, speaking of reviews, it has come to my attention that some of my readers may prefer that I leave an Author's Note at the end of each chapter, as opposed to creating a separate page. I agree, and for a while the chapter number offset has really been bothering me. After giving enough time for an adequate number of viewers to read the page, I have removed the page entitled "Author's Note 1". Any Author's Notes will now come at the end of the chapter, as they have now for the previous two chapters. Whoever the guest reviews is that suggested this, thank you.**

 **Have a wonderful day! Feel free to leave a review and ask questions! I will certainly answer them.**


	10. Day Three, Part One

Chapter 10: Day Three, Part One

Other than a brief explosion in the middle of the night, Sol and Dimaria slept well. Well, at least, she thought she did. Sol woke up several times to the force of a moved leg, arm, or head, and there was one time where it was even snoring. Needless to say, Sol was in a slightly less than tolerable mood when the sun came up.

 _God damn, she'll be the death of me._

He got up, leaving her in bed. If there had been another place in the room to sleep, he surely would have asked her to sleep there, but the only spot besides the floor was his bed. After all, he hadn't purchased the room with the expectation that he'd have a visitor. And after seeing her cry earlier last night, it wasn't like he could just let her sleep alone like that. It bothered him.

 _I'll have to go see if the innkeeper can get another bed brought in here. If she wants, she can move it over to be joined with mine, but there is no way we are sharing that one bed together. Damn thing is too small for just me, let alone her too._

Cracking his back and neck, he went into the bathroom and cleaned himself up. When he was finished, he put on his set of Nightingale armor, modified to fit the orange theme that his persona called for. Running a finger over the trim of his hood, he pulled down the mask part of the outfit. He found that it only made breathing more difficult, and it muffled his voice whenever he wanted to speak.

Exiting the bathroom, he looked over to see Dimaria stretching, hair messed up from sleep. Seeing her this way got Sol's heart racing, a feeling quite unfamiliar to him. It was similar to the rush he felt when fighting, though the urge he felt now what almost exactly the opposite. He was overcome with an instinct like that of protection, sensing some unknown, distant danger that Dimaria was destined to face.

"Good morning Sol." Dimaria snapped him out of his thoughts, and his eyes rested on hers, glistening in the morning light. "You look nice."

"Thanks." Sol smiled, pulling down his hood to reveal a face that was, for the moment, at peace. "Sleep well?" The question was sincere.

"Yeah, thanks. I know it must've been awkward sharing your bed with a stranger, but I really needed it." Dimaria looked down at the floor, scratching her head awkwardly.

"No worries." Sol walked over to the desk against the wall opposite of the bathroom and grabbed some of his things. While he could've easily used a pocket dimension, he felt the extra burden of his rucksack to be enjoyable.

"So, what's the plan?" Dimaria had stepped into the bathroom and was changing back into her normal outfit. She was holding the necklace he had given her in her hands, prepared to put it on. "Just put this one and I'll be able to get into the coliseum without being noticed?"

"Well, since you enjoyed it so much last night, I was actually planning on just taking you there through refraction." This only brought a puzzled look to Dimaria's face. "It's what I call moving between my physical and light form."

"Ah." Dimaria nodded her head, going along with what he was saying. How he did it was still quite a mystery to her. "Well, in that case, let's go." She held out her hand.

"Alright. Here we go." Sol grabbed her hand and they were off. Just a moment later, they were standing in the viewing box, but just outside the line of sight of any spectators.

"Wow. That never gets old." Dimaria let out a small sigh of relief, feeling much more relaxed now that they had arrived. "That's some magic you've got."

"Thanks." Sol looked at her with a subtle bit of confidence. "Speaking of magic, I never could figure what kind you use. Care to tell?"

"Yeah, just one second." She slid the necklace over her head and onto her neck, and suddenly Dimaria had vanished. Sol was experienced enough in the art to notice a small shimmer of distortion in the light where her body had once been. "There, much better."

"My magic allows me to stop time." Dimaria seemed to move out toward the edge of the box, sitting in the middle of one of the front benches. "It actually comes from the God of Time, Cronos."

 _Cronos? I wonder if there's any connection to Akatosh?_

Sol remembered his previous encounter with Hermaeus Mora and that indiscernible being from the void he had travelled in on his way to Earthland, and it convinced him that there likely was a connection. What it was specifically was anyone's guess.

"Stopping time? That's pretty impressive." Sol folded his arms over in annoyed realization. "I assume that's how you managed to find out what room I was staying in?"

Dimaria couldn't be seen, but she had put her hands up in protest, feigning regret and fear. "I'm so sorry. I promise I'll never do it again."

Sol chuckled. For how much she seemed to go through mood swings, Dimaria's witty personality was quite humorous to him. "Yeah, right. Whatever you say, Dimaria."

"Hey, what did I ever do to you?" Dimaria protested even more, but not even her invisibility could give away her devilish smirk.

"Keep it up and maybe I'll demonstrate." Sol, arms still folded, leaned back in the seat, grinning. He was starting to like the back and forth flirting they went through together. It upheld the sanctity of the more serene, touching moments, what few they had experienced so far.

Sol could feel Dimaria playfully rolling her eyes at him, but the moment didn't last long, as Chapati Lola's voice broke through the idle talk of the crowd.

"Welcome to Day Three of the Grand Magic Games! That puts us at the halfway point!"

For what it was worth, Sol didn't mind Lola as an announcer. He did well enough.

"I personally will be on my best behavior around today's guest, from the Magic Council it's Marshal Lahar!"

 _A member of the Magic Council? Interesting. No doubt he's here to figure me out._

"As Chief Marshal of the Custody Enforcement Unit, your job is catching the bad guys, isn't that right?" Lola was questioning Lahar. Sol didn't bother to listen.

"Oh, I totally forgot about this Dimaria," Sol gestured to her invisible figure, "but there's a good chance you're not the only one who'll be accompanying me today." He then nodded over to the Fairy Tail viewing box. "Just try to stay out of the way if you can. Sorry."

"Oh, alright," Dimaria scoffed, flustered, "Just let random strangers walk all over me. Got it."

 _Hmm. Guess hiding isn't really her thing._

"Well, if it's too much for you, I could always take you back home…" Sol looked over, raising one eyebrow.

"What? Are you kidding me? No way! I've gotta be here to see you win!" That last remark came out unexpectedly. "I mean… uh… well… you asked me to be here…"

Sol laughed again. He seemed to be winning this game of theirs. "Yeah, sure. I'll let you sit on that thought for a while." Sol jumped over the railing. "Get back to me when you've got it figured out."

He could feel Dimaria's eyes stabbing daggers through the back of his head.

 _Sol 1, Dimaria 0._

Landing in the same spot as always, Sol started forward towards the day's event. He noticed as he got up just how much his impacts had altered the ground in that area. Apparently, the Games officials hadn't bothered to fix it, because the crater Sol had developed over the past three days was now a solid two feet at it's deepest.

"Let's kick off this hump day with a game that's sure to be exciting, one that we call Pandemonium!" Chapati Lola put great emphasis into the word Pandemonium, which got Sol in his typical battle mood.

 _Geez, if they wanted some Pandemonium, they've could've just asked. No need for some elaborate event._

By this point his trademark smirk had found its way onto his face, as he walked towards the center of the arena. Sol was listening to Lola rattle off the names of each competitor when a castle appeared out of the sky and floated down to the ground. Sol spent a good deal of time studying the structure, so much so that he completely tuned out Mato and the others.

 _Wow. I never really took to the architecture back home, but this stuff is gorgeous._

"Now, to decide the order you'll go in, I'd like everyone to please draw a straw." Sol snapped out of his daydream to see a box with straws appear in Mato's hands out of thin air. Sol racked his brain, trying to grasp the basic concepts of the game.

 _100 monsters… varying difficulty… choose how many… random… Got it. Should be easy._

Sol reached out to draw his straw. A green magic circle appeared on the end with a number 9 in the middle. "Guess I'll be going last."

He looked over to see Erza holding up her straw. She had drawn the number 1 slot, so she'd be going first. She was talking to Cana at the moment, so he didn't bother her. But he did drop in on her conversation.

"Interesting. I had assumed victory in this event relied entirely on the luck of the draw." Erza looked upon the stairs leading up to the castle.

"It's far more than that. You have to consider pacing, your opponent's strength, the likelihood of getting a really nasty monster, the list goes on and on. It is quite a complex game if you think about it." Mato had turned to respond to her statement.

"No." Erza looked up at him, smiling confidently. "In fact, this is no longer even a game." She turned and walked forward towards the stairs of the castle, prompting confusion from the pumpkin-headed referee. "Inside this castle wait one hundred monsters. I choose to challenge all of them."

Gasps could be heard around the arena. Nobody had expected such a bold strategy. Varying degrees of shock covered each competitor's face, save for Sol's, who only smirked.

 _You may be able to impress everyone else here, but not me. Nice try._

He walked over to Erza and put his hand on her shoulder. "Good luck, Erza. You'll need it." The second half of his sentenced was laced with venom. Erza jerked her shoulder forward, getting his hand off of her.

"Watch it." Erza looked back at him with a glare he had yet to see. While it would have struck fear into most people, to Sol it was nothing more than another feeble attempt at intimidation.

Backing off, Sol raised his hands in fake protest. "Fine. Suit yourself." He walked back to the stand with the other competitors, waiting for the event to begin.

Sol turned around and looked back at his viewing box. He caught a brief glimpse of Dimaria's form leaning against the railing. He could only assume she was enjoying this farce just as much as he was.

 _You could probably just stop time and beat them all in an instant, couldn't you?_

After watching for what seemed like only a few minutes, Erza had finished. She defeated all one hundred monsters. The cheer from the crowd was deafening. It was all Sol could do not to laugh at their ignorance.

 _Do they really think she's strong? When will they learn?_

"Okay, after some deliberation, we've decided that the eight remaining teams still need to be ranked, so we're having another contest. This game might be a little on the boring side compared to Pandemonium, but I think it'll suffice." Mato stood next to what would later be called a Magic Power Finder, or MPF.

Sol waited patiently while Mato explained the rules and the others went. He found it amusing that the MPF considered Olga and Jura to be incredibly strong. Finally, it was his turn to set the record straight. They had brought out a new MPF after Cana destroyed it with her "Fairy Glitter" spell.

 _I will never get over the fact that these morons yell out what their attack is. But I guess I can't judge considering that's more or less what the Thu'um is. Speaking of which, how about we give them another taste?_

"May I borrow that microphone?" Sol put his hand out to Olga, who seemed surprised by the question. He handed it over. "Thank you."

Sol addressed the crowd. "I am going to be whispering, so pay close attention." Sol held the microphone out next to the MPF and summoned all of his strength. He had learned this technique from the Greybeards shortly before he had come to this world. It was, after all, how most of them communicated.

"Fus." Sol's whisper was barely audible to the crowd, but it did the trick. The MPF was, like its predecessor, history. Another 9999 appeared where the MPF had once been. The gasp of the crowd was similar to the one Erza managed to produce earlier.

Sol took the time to crush the microphone in his hands. Then, rising up into the air like a deity, his voice boomed throughout the city.

" **DO YOU SEE NOW, FIORE? THESE GAMES WERE DECIDED THE MOMENT THEY LET ME JOIN. YOU COULD THROW ALL EIGHT OF THESE PATHETIC TEAMS AT ME WITH EVERY MEMBER AND THEY WOULDN'T STAND A CHANCE! TAKE NOTICE."**

Floating back down, the crowd had gone completely silent. Sol looked down at the spot where he always landed when entering the arena.

 _Perhaps that was a bit too much._

The crowd erupted into its loudest cheer yet.

 _Or not…_

Sol smiled and looked up to each team. Each one, without fail, was looking upon him with anger and determination. He had accomplished his goal.

 _Maybe now you'll start to actually try competing with me._

Sol walked over and jumped up to his booth. The shimmer of light still hadn't left its spot against the ledge. Dimaria's voice broke through the air. "Why do I get this feeling like you're just putting on a show?"

"Because I am. I mean, really, do you expect me to give it my all out there? I'd destroy the whole city in an instant." Sol leaned back on the bench, smirking away.

"Well that's certainly one way to-"A sudden knock on the door halted Dimaria's speech. Sol, thinking quickly, moved his bag to where Dimaria was sitting, and answered the door.

"Oh, hello. I wasn't expecting this many of you." Stood there was Makarov, followed by Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Erza, Wendy and the Exceeds Happy and Carla. Not one of them looked too happy to be there. "Please, come in."

One by one, the group of Fairy Tail mages walked into the booth and found a place to sit. Natsu haphazardly had walked over to Sol's bag, almost tripping over Dimaria's leg, when Sol had ushered him away from the corner. "I'd prefer it if you didn't look through my things." Grumbling, Natsu walked over to Lucy and sat next to her.

"Well?" Sol was now standing in front of the group, leaning back on the ledge as Fairy Tail's guild master eyed the corner of the room suspiciously. Sol's question got his attention. "I assume you've got questions?"

"Yeah, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Natsu yelled away, typically. "You really think you can just show us up like that? You cost us points!"

"Would you stop, Natsu?!" Lucy smacks Natsu upside the head. "We aren't here to start a fight!" Lucy turns to look at Sol, wary of him. "Even if he is."

"Do you really think I would've bothered to open the door if I were interested in fighting you right now?" Sol crossed his right leg over his leg, tilted his head sideways slightly. "I'm here for two reasons. One, to win the Games, and two, to bring my friend back from the dead. So if that's what you were here to learn," he gestured to the door, "I suggest leaving."

"No, actually." Makarov stood up, looking Sol right in the eyes. "We're actually here to learn more about you. Given your conversation with Mira, and the reassurances of our First Master, I've decided that you aren't a threat to us, at least for the moment. Erza told me yesterday that you know multiple types of magic?"

Sol grabbed a nearby chair and sat down, facing away from the crowd. "Dozens. Pretty much every type of elemental magic you can think of," he noted as he started casting various spells, "along with some rarer kinds."

"Yet you choose to only fight with five?" Gray frowned. "Wouldn't it be to your advantage to use more?"

"It very well might," Sol nodded thoughtfully, "but I'm much more proficient at the five. Besides, I don't have the ability to tell whether or not I'm using the same magic as someone until I start fighting. That means I'd have to wait until the other guy struck first, and that's not smart." Sol lit up a ball in his hand, casting in onto a nearby wall. "So I try to use a combination of magic that's so rare it can't be defended against."

"Wowww." Happy flew up to the ball of light and touched it, fascinated. "Look, Carla, you can actually touch it!"

"That's great, Happy." Carla pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly not amused.

Lola's voice ripped through the conversation. "Well folks, time to see who Sol will be fighting for this time around." The drawing was to commence once again.

"And it looks like today Sol will be representing…" A pause for dramatic effect. "Raven Tail!"

Sol turned and looked at his guests. They weren't pleased.

 _Now what?_

 **Author's Note: Okay guys, sorry this chapter took so long to put out. I've been really busy with school, more so than I originally anticipated. While that did suck, it'll be over in about three weeks, so I'll be able to sit down and write on a more consistent basis.**

 **That being said, I have a few announcements to make regarding the story. The first of which is that, pretty obviously, Day Three is being split into two parts. The first part, as you've read here, is mainly the morning and the Event. Part two will be the battle stage and the evening. There's a lot to write, so I felt it was appropriate to split the chapters, and I couldn't really come up with a clever chapter name, so this is the result. Enjoy.**

 **The second announcement, which is much more important, is that I will be creating a playlist of songs to listen to for each arc of this fanfiction I will be writing. I've already got a good list of songs in my head for each moment of this particular arc, but feel free to PM me with suggestions of songs I should add, or just songs to listen to in general. I'm open to suggestion.**

 **While that was more of a suggestion rather than direct asking, this is. Any fan of the story who would be interested in creating fanart for the story, I would love to see it. I am looking to add fanart to the story to give it a more detailed look, and if the quality is really good, I may even pay you for your efforts.**

 **Well, that's all for right now. I hope you enjoyed this chapter; I hope you have enjoyed the story as a whole, and I hope you have a wonderful time in the future. I love and appreciate every reader, and I am truly glad that you have chosen to take this journey with me. Cheers!**


	11. Day Three, Part Two

Chapter 11: Day Three, Part Two

_Dimaria's POV_

Dimaria was just as confused as Sol. It seemed to her that the Fairy Tail wizards' anger was unjustly projected onto him, and that made her feel all the more powerless sitting there.

 _Whatever._

"Is there a problem?" Sol's voice caught her attention. His voice had an irresistible quality to it, as if the power behind it demanded attention.

"If you'd been paying attention to the Games, you'd know." The black-haired wizard chimed in. The air around the room had grown cold with his words.

"They're a dark guild, and Master Makarov is the father of their leader, Ivan." Happy chimed in.

Just then, Dimaria got a splitting headache. She put her hand up to her head, almost trying to move the pressure from her forehead. Despite the immeasurable pain she was in, she managed to keep quiet enough to not draw any unwanted attention. The pain left shortly after.

"Is something wrong?" Dimaria looked up in alarm, almost gasping at the thought of being noticed. But when her eyes found the source of the question, the young blonde mage, her concern shifted.

Leaning over the railing, Sol was panting, his hand clasping the side of his head. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just got a headache is all."

"Are you sure? I'm sure Porlyusica wouldn't mind having you go back to the infirmary." The red-head got up, ready to help.

"Seriously, I'm fine." Sol waved her away, grabbing the ledge with mild force. "It's just a headache."

 _We both got headaches at the same time. Weird. Hopefully it's just coincidence._

Dimaria looked at him with a newfound curiosity, wondering what exactly had just happened. Deep down, she felt it wasn't coincidence at all.

"I think our conversation is done for now. I'd like to be alone, get ready for the fight." Sol dismissed the group with a drop of agitation laced in his words. The pink-haired boy started to speak, but the old man silenced him, and they left without a word.

As soon as Sol shut the door, Dimaria got up and walked over to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. Most people would've flinched, but he had expected it.

"You felt it too?" He turned his head slightly, just enough to acknowledge her.

"Yeah." It took her a second to process what he said. "Wait, you could see me?"

"I've used that amulet long enough for it to not affect me." Sol turned around, facing Dimaria fully. "Thankfully nobody else has."

"Yeah, guess so." She looked up, a faint smile forming on her lips before she remembered what just happened. "What do you think it was?"

"I don't know about you, but I only get those kinds of headaches for one reason." Sol walked past her and sat down on the front bench, putting his hands together and resting his arms on his knees, leaning forward. He looked down with an expression Dimaria hadn't expected: Sadness.

"Why, if you don't mind me asking?" Dimaria walked over, sitting down next to him, putting her arm around his back.

"I never knew my parents." Sol looked up and out into the crowd. "Every time the idea is brought up, I get a headache. They're typically worse the longer I go between being reminded."

Dimaria thought she saw a tear building up in his eye, but it was quickly extinguished by a fire that seemed to light within him.

And in a move completely unlike her, she opened up to him. "Me neither."

Sol looked at her, with a look that could only be described as a mix of shock and admiration. He smiled, seemingly forgetting his pain.

Enough time had passed during this whole ordeal for Sol's name to be called for battle. As usual, he jumped down, ready to face his next opponent. It was Laxus Dreyar, one of Fairy Tail's stronger wizards.

Then something strange happened, something Dimaria wasn't expecting. She noticed copies of the two fighting off to the side, and five figures from one of the other booths jumped down onto the coliseum floor. Confused, Dimaria leaned over the ledge to try and hear what was happening.

Sol seemed to be just as confused. "What's going on? You do know we're supposed to be in the middle of a fight, right?"

"Stay out of this, pal." A short, purple figure quipped back at him, turning to face Laxus. In fact, the whole group was facing Laxus.

"Where's the Lumen Histoire, Laxus?" The leader of the group, a masked figure, approached Laxus.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Laxus tightened his fists, getting ready for a fight.

"Oh, come on, boy." The figure reached to take off his mask, revealing a face of pure evil. "Won't you tell your dear old Dad?"

Something switched in Sol. Dimaria was the only one to notice, as Laxus and the group of wizards had been too focused on each other to see it. As soon as the word "Dad" came out of the man's mouth, Sol had bared his teeth. As opposed to the Fairy Tail wizards before, Sol was clearly not interested in wasting time on a group of incompetent wizards.

 _They have no idea what's coming to them._

Dimaria smirked.

 _Good._

In an instant, Sol had moved between the five wizards and incapacitated all of them, delivering devastating blows. They all barely had time to react before they hit the ground, unable to recover.

Sol stopped, reappearing a good distance from where they had all stood before. He was in a running position, his right arm outstretched and bent at the elbow, with his hand in an open palm, all five fingers bent in a claw shape. Exhaling once, he stood upright, dusting himself off.

It was at this point that Laxus noticed what had happened, and the illusion broke.

The crowd was, of course, confused. They had just been watching what had been an evenly matched fight when all of the sudden the true scene unfolded before them. Chapati Lola was the first to offer any sort of commentary.

"What? Uh… I'm not quite sure what just happened folks, but it looks like the five members of Raven Tail are all on the field."

The Custody Enforcement Unit, men and women dressed in white robes, came out to investigate. Sol and Laxus explained the situation, and the Raven Tail members were carried off.

"Well, Mato, how are we going to proceed?" Lola's voice called down the arena floor, where the pumpkin-headed referee had also gone to investigate.

"Well, obviously Raven Tail is disqualified. That's a no brainer." Mato used a microphone to inform the crowd. "That would mean that, since Sol represents them, he'll get their points too."

"Wait, so we're still gonna have the fight?" Lola seemed perplexed by the decision.

"Well of course we are!" Mato threw his hands in the air. "Both Sol and Laxus seem to be in good enough condition to fight. How does that sound?" With his last words, he had turned to the two fighters in question, who were both standing arms crossed next to Mato.

"I don't mind." Sol nodded.

"Yeah, I guess not." Laxus frowned, but agreed.

"Alright. You've got thirty minutes. Good luck!"

Before Mato could turn around to leave, Sol had grabbed Laxus by the throat and lifted him up in the air.

"Don't worry," he said, "I won't need that long to teach everyone a lesson." With his final word, he had thrown Laxus body down into the ground, leaving a crater two feet deep in the ground. Sol then proceeded to step on his chest, leaning down to speak to him.

"Anyone who decides to waste my time gets punished, understand?" Sol smirked down at Laxus, who could barely breathe. "Don't EVER waste my time."

Laxus could only stare in anger and frustration as the fight was called right then and there. Sol then picked up Laxus and threw him into the Fairy Tail booth, where he was caught by a few of the other members.

Sol then shouted just loud enough for the guild to hear him. "Got it, Fairy Tail? I'm not going to repeat myself." His question was met with silence.

Sol turned and walked over to his booth, where he jumped up and sat back down next to Dimaria. She had witnessed all of this with great interest.

"No wonder they don't like you." Dimaria smirked, leaning back and putting her hands behind her head in relaxation. "You scare them."

"Wouldn't be the first group." Sol leaned back with her, taking it all in. "And they certainly won't be the last."

 **AN: Alright, so I hope you guys really enjoyed Day Three. If you didn't read my Author's Note from last chapter, make sure you go do that, it's super important. Other than that, I really hope you've enjoyed the story so far, and I look forward to reading your reviews. Cheers!**


	12. Confide

Chapter Twelve: Confide

_Sol's POV_

It had been a few hours since the end of Day Three of the Grand Magic Games, and nobody from Fairy Tail had given Sol much trouble. That fact pleased him immensely. He was currently walking down the street with Dimaria, still hidden under the power of the amulet. There weren't many people in this part of town, so she didn't have to worry too much about bumping into someone. They walked into an alley way near a local restaurant, and she took off the necklace.

"Feels good to finally have that thing off." Dimaria looked over herself. "I was beginning to worry I had actually disappeared."

Sol chuckled at that. He found it amusing that someone as apparently headstrong as her would ever have worries. "Don't worry. You aren't the first."

"Did you make this yourself?" She held up the necklace, admiring it for the first time. "I've never seen anything like it in stores before."

"No, I thought I told you before?" Sol put out his hand to take the necklace, and Dimaria obliged. "I found it on the street. An older man had dropped it, it was in a busy marketplace. I tried to return it to him, but I ended up losing him in the crowd."

"Oh." Dimaria tilted her head, smiling in that loveable way she seemed to do around him. "I guess it's a good thing you didn't find him, then."

"Well, actually, I did." Sol gestured his hand out as to casually correct her misconception. "After I had gone home that day, I tried it on an, wouldn't you know, it turned me invisible. At the time, it also had an enchantment on it that allowed the owner to find it should any thief put it on."

"That's pretty neat." Dimaria looked down at the necklace. "Was he mad?"

"Only when he first opened the door." Sol chuckled again. "He could see through the invisibility spell, and once he saw I was just a kid, he was actually pretty nice."

"Well did he have a name?" Dimaria put one hand on her hip. "This sounds like a start to a classic master apprentice story."

"No, actually, I didn't. Not that I didn't ask." Sol looked down, a wave of mild sadness and remembrance passing over his face. "He refused to tell me. He just transferred the owner's enchantment to me and left. I never saw him again."

"Oh." Dimaria saw the look on his face, and not wanting to push his mood any further into its current state, ended the subject. "I'm sorry to hear that. So, when I was wearing it, you could see where I was?"

The look had faded from his eyes. "Yeah, vaguely." He made another gesture with his hands, explaining the magic. "The closer I am to the necklace, the easier it is to see the person wearing it. Whenever I was down in the arena, you only sort of looked like a blob of light." He laughed at that.

"Not funny!" Dimaria shoved him slightly, clearly upset by the suggestion that she wasn't ever pretty. But deep down she knew it was in good fun and moved forward. "Speaking of looks, what am I going to wear to dinner?"

"Oh, I totally forgot!" Sol snapped his fingers. He didn't realize until now that they had been standing in the alley way for no reason. "I actually bought this earlier, while you weren't looking." He pulled a garment bag and shoe box out of his pocket dimension and handed the items to Dimaria. "I wasn't sure what size… well, anything you wear, so I tried my best at guessing. I hope you like it." He scratched his head as she opened up the items.

What she saw made her gasp.

Inside the garment bag was a slim black dress with small golden leaves going from the left shoulder and growing slightly in size all the way diagonal to the right hip. Only the left arm had a sleeve, which went down to the wrist. It, too, was patterned with golden leaves. The dress widened out slightly at the hips, leaving enough room to comfortably walk. The dress went down to right below the knees, where it abruptly stopped.

The shoes were not, in fact, shoes, but rather an elegant pair of black sandals that wrapped themselves around the ankle but were flat on the bottom. They were equipped with a single, small golden buckle whose belt folded itself perfectly into the back ankle. A half-inch of leather padding layered the sole, and actually had Dimaria's name engraved in golden paint running down the length of the sandal.

Dimaria put a hand to her mouth. She could barely contain her joy. "It's… I can't… thank you." She moved fast as lightning and hugged Sol around the chest with a grip tighter than a steel vise. The effort actually made Sol gasp for air.

He slightly refracted into his light form, just around the area Dimaria's arms covered. He still wanted to feel the hug, just not die from it.

 _That went better than expected._

Sol smiled to himself. Eventually, the embrace ended, and Dimaria put on the outfit. Under cover from the wandering eye, of course. When she walked out into view, it was his turn to gasp.

The dress fit her perfectly. The only thing more radiant than Dimaria's outfit was her smile.

"Wow. I think you should let me do the shopping from now on." Sol simultaneously joked and marveled at Dimaria's figure.

"Works for me." She walked over to him and grabbed his hand. "I mean, I'll have to get you an outfit, of course." She finished her last comment with a gesture of the hand, palm facing flat up toward the night sky.

"Oh, I don't know about that." Sol put his own hand out as if to shoot down the offer. "I haven't actually bought clothing in years. I typically just use a spell to make it myself."

As the conversation continued, Sol and Dimaria walked side by side out of the alley and out into the street. It was more crowded than before, but that no longer mattered. She could rest assured knowing that her identity would not be discovered. Together, they entered the restaurant, a fancier location named Celadon.

It didn't take long for them to get seats. Not only did Sol book an earlier reservation, but his status as a competitor in the Grand Magic Games garnered him the nicest spot in the place, an upstairs table for two with a nearby balcony viewing over much of the city, including Mercurius. A waiter was quick to greet them and offer drinks. Sol asked for a bottle of their finest wine, which turned out to be an X784 bottle of Tempranillo. While Dimaria happily poured herself a glass, Sol abstained from drinking. It was a personal moral of his to not drink anything that could impair his ability to deal with an unprecedented situation. Besides, one of them had to stay sober so they could safely return home.

"Nice pick." Dimaria looked around, taking a sip from her glass. "Looks like they've even got an area for musicians over there." She pointed to an open area of the floor a good distance from their table. "How'd you find out about this place?"

"There was a brochure on the nightstand when I checked in at the inn." Sol proceeded to pull said brochure out of his pocket dimension, handing in to Dimaria. "I figured it was far enough out away from all the noise that maybe we'd be able to enjoy ourselves."

One causal glimpse across the room, and he knew he had immediately jinxed himself.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me." Sol muttered under his breath softly.

"What is it?" Dimaria tensed up, looking around just calmly enough to not attract any unwanted attention.

"Fairy Tail." Sol gave the slightest nod in their direction. It was Mira and Laxus. They were being helped to a table not too far from their own. "This is what I meant by noise."

"Do you want to leave? I could get us out of here no problem." Dimaria's look was part concern, part sympathy.

"No, I won't let them ruin our night out." Sol turned his back to face Dimaria as he drank the ice water set out by the waiter when they arrived. "Hopefully they won't notice us."

And for the second time in the span of a minute, Sol managed to jinx himself.

_Mira's POV_

As soon as she had finished walking up the stairs, Mira felt that familiar wave of energy hit her. Her head turned directly to the source, and her eyes found Sol sitting at a nearby table. He appeared to be making casual conversation with a young blonde woman sat across from him.

Every fiber of her being told her to leave it alone, but Laxus had other plans. He had also noticed Sol's power and started walking toward their table.

"That's probably not a good idea." Mira grabbed Laxus by the shoulder, causing him to look over, mild annoyance already spread across his face.

"You might be right. But when has that ever stopped me?" Laxus gently shrugged her hand off of him and proceeded towards Sol's table.

_Dimaria's POV_

"Hey!" Laxus called out to Sol, visibly upset. Dimaria turned to him and saw an expression of annoyance on his face. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers, and with his opposite hand snapped.

In an instant, the four of them were refracted and sent to the hill outside of the city where Dimaria and Sol had their first real conversation. Everyone except for Sol was visibly confused, only she was less so.

"What do you want?" The words dripped with venom off of Sol's lips.

"Answers." Laxus clinched his hand into a fist, ready to fight.

"And you thought now was a good time to start asking questions?" Sol ignited his hand in flames, readying himself for a fight.

"After what you did today, I don't think 'when' matters." Laxus shrugged off his coat, a surge of electricity building up around him.

"Stop!" The white-haired girl Laxus was with got in front of the two young men. "We shouldn't be fighting like this."

"Wouldn't be much of a fight." Sol backed down, walking toward Dimaria. "I would end it just as fast as I did earlier."

"That's not the point, Sol!" She turned to face him, reprimanding him for his actions. "You can't just expect everyone to get along with you when you act like this!"

"I'm not trying to get along with everyone, am I, Mira?" Sol calmly retorted.

"Well you're gonna have to do a better job if you plan on getting Serana back!" As the words left Mira's mouth, Sol's complexion shifted. For an instant, he seemed shocked.

"Wh…What did you say?" Sol had turned around and was now face to face with Mira.

"You heard me. How do you expect me to work with you when you intentionally alienate all of my friends?" Mira stood with confident defiance.

Sol stood there speechless. Dimaria had yet to see him in a state like this. She had thought it impossible. For all of the strength he possessed, for all of the radiant confidence he portrayed, Sol looked as if he was about to collapse. He turned away from Mira, and with one quiet word, the two of them left. "Alright."

Leaving Laxus and Mira behind, Sol and Dimaria were back at the restaurant. Sol quickly signaled to the waiter, letting him know that they were ready to leave. He paid for the wine, and in an instant, they were back at the inn.

_Sol's POV_

As soon as they were back, Sol went straight to the bathroom, where he splashed water on his face.

 _"Well you're gonna have to do a better job if you plan on getting Serana back!"_

Mira's words played back in his mind over and over again, like a broken record.

"Sol? Sol?!" Dimaria's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just a little upset is all." Sol looked into the mirror, contemplating himself.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Dimaria walked up behind him, look at him in the mirror with a reassuring rub on the back.

"No, but I suppose it would be better for me if I did." Sol grabbed a nearby towel and wiped his face off, gathering his composure. "Where should I start?"

"I don't know." Dimaria looked at him with a reassuring expression. "How about Serana. Tell me about her."

Sol looked at Dimaria and nodded. In that moment, he knew that if this was the type of support he would get in their relationship, he could easily spend the rest of his life with her. In that moment he made the decision to fully commit to Dimaria, to invest in whatever future fate had drawn for them.

Throughout the rest of the night, and all the way until sunrise, he told her everything.


	13. Day Four, Part One

Chapter Thirteen: Day Four, Part One

Sol and Dimaria barely got any sleep. He had finished his story around 6, and it was currently 8. Sol woke up from the chair he had been sat in, discomfort in his back.

 _Hope I never have to do that again._

Sol got up and shambled over to the bathroom. He quickly splashed some water on his face, refracted, and got dressed. He decided today he'd wear a simple pair of gray conjurer's robes. He pulled down the hood and looked up into the mirror. As soon as he saw his own face, he sighed.

 _What am I gonna do?_

He knew, deep down, that Mira was right. Fairy Tail didn't deserve the treatment he was giving them. But at the same time, he knew he couldn't just let Mira hold Serana hostage. He had to get her out…then it hit him.

 _Then what?_

He realized he had absolutely no plan for what to do next. Sure, he'd get Serana back, but what would they do? Even if he knew how to get back to Skyrim, was he willing to just get up and leave as soon as the opportunity presented itself?

 _No,_ he realized. _I can't just leave Dimaria behind._

 _Dimaria._

She presented an entirely new problem. Before the confrontation with Hermaeus Mora, he had planned on marrying Serana. Now that she was gone, he found himself in a completely new relationship.

 _Maybe I could convince Dimaria to absorb Serana's soul…_

No, that wouldn't work either. They're from two completely different worlds, they'd just confuse each other. _It's bad enough that she's sharing a body with Mira._

Sol found himself back at the original problem he had yet to solve: How to get Serana out of Mira's body. This cycle of problems clawed at him endlessly, and the only thing his brain could accomplish was a headache.

Through the pain, Sol noticed Dimaria walk in. "Wow, you're awake? I could've sworn I bored you to death with my stories." He hid his discomfort, not wanting to worry her.

"No, not at all. It pretty fascinating, actually." Dimaria grabbed a pair of clothes and stepped into the shower, hanging them up on the outside. "What I can't get over is the fact that you fought this 'Alduin' guy."

"Dragon." Sol pointedly corrected her. "He's a dragon."

"Yeah, it's unreal." Dimaria had to speak up, with the shower door and running water dampening her voice. "He sounds a lot like Acnologia."

"Acnologia?" Sol's head popped up in surprise. "I've heard that name before."

"I would hope so." Dimaria continued nonchalantly. "Besides His Majesty, Acnologia is the strongest being in Earthland. He was actually a Dragon Slayer hundreds of years ago."

"No kidding? He didn't look human when I saw him." Sol grabbed a towel nearby and dried his face.

Dimaria opened the shower door and ran out, right up to Sol. "What?! You've seen him?!"

Before he said a word, Sol took one look at Dimaria and snapped his fingers. Her outfit went from it's hanger to her body. Dimaria only realized she had been naked after the fact. "Sorry."

"It's fine." Sol tossed the towel on the counter. "Yeah, I saw him. He was about to destroy the island I was on before Fairy Tail stopped him with some weird spell."

"Fairy Tail was there?" Dimaria's confusion only seemed to mount.

"Yeah, some ghost from their guild or whatever casted a shield over the island. When I woke up, I found out seven years had passed."

"Must've been the Fairy Heart." Dimaria walked past Sol out of the bathroom.

"Fairy Heart? Is that some kind of potion ingredient?" It was now Sol's turn to be confused.

"No, Fairy Heart is a person. His Majesty's former lover, Mavis Vermilion. From what he's told us, her body contains magic on an unprecedented scale. Enough to beat Acnologia."

"Well I guess that's as good of an explanation as any." Sol seemed satisfied with this explanation, however unreasonable it sounded on the surface. He'd seen crazier things.

"It's part of why I'm here." Dimaria looked at him with a seriousness he hadn't seen before. "I'm to gain as much information on it as possible, and report back to His Majesty. The other part was to get you, obviously."

"Well, you've got about five seconds to grab onto my hand before I head over to the arena and you lose me forever." Sol winked at her with a cheeky smile.

"Sometimes I don't think you realize how unfunny you are." Dimaria smiled back, grabbing his hand. As soon as her grasp was firm, they were off to the arena.

_Dimaria's POV_

The two were quickly inside the viewing box that had begun to feel like a second home. Dimaria put on the enchanted necklace and sat down.

"Hey, do you think you could help me? With my mission?"

Sol looked at her with a curious interest. "What do you have in mind?"

"I just told you, dummy, I've gotta get more information on the Fairy Heart. Help me do that."

"What, like spy?" Sol seemingly transitioned from confusion to thought.

"Eavesdrop, ask around, whatever. Doesn't really matter how you find out, so long as you do."

Sol stood in silence for a brief moment before nodding. "I'll see what I can do." With that, he jumped out onto the arena floor.

Dimaria didn't find today's event to be particularly interesting. The name "Naval Battle" just wasn't very catchy. Not to mention the fact she knew Sol would dominate like he always did. He had sat back and let the others beat each other up, only to eliminate them all decisively in one blow. In fact, he had done it so swiftly the officials had to look at slow-motion footage to see how everyone placed. As Sol walked back, Dimaria took a look at the scoreboard:

1st Sabertooth, 44 pts

2nd Sol, 38 pts

T-3rd Fairy Tail A, 35 pts

T-3rd Lamia Scale, 35 pts

T-3rd Mermaid Heel, 35 pts

6th Fairy Tail B, 26 pts

7th Blue Pegasus, 20 pts

8th Quattro Cerberus, 15 pts

A smile grew on Dimaria's face when she saw Sol was catching up. Her relationship with him set aside, his performance so far had been amazing. He now received the loudest cheers from the crowd, the stands were mostly filled with signs for him, and some had even gone to the extreme of painting themselves orange and grey, his signature colors. Needless to say, he had become quite the celebrity.

Dimaria was snapped out of her observations when the man himself had made his way back into the viewing box. Sol, who had insisted on wearing armor during the fight, was now taking it off to dry, revealing his shredded body laden with scars.

"So, remind me again why you decided to wear your clothes?" Dimaria annoyedly asked Sol, a twinge of playfulness in her voice.

"Because now I can be shirtless up here." Sol stated rather flatly. This caught Dimaria off guard, causing her to blush profoundly.

"O-Oh. Okay."

"What?"

"N-Nothing."

Sol threw the wet armor onto the nearby bench and leaned against the edge of the balcony. "Oh, come on. You've seen me shirtless before. How is this time any different?"

"Well, this is in public." Dimaria was quick to defend her surprise. "And I just didn't think you'd actually bother to take off your armor. I mean, can't you just use some sort of magic to dry it?"

"Magic is not a solution to every problem." Sol pointedly remarked. "Besides, there are some things I enjoy taking my time on, and drying my clothing is one of those things. As to being in public, that's why I kept everything on during the fight. It was either be exposed out there or in here, and in here I really only have to deal with you."

"Fair enough." Dimaria quit her protest and was quickly met with a knock on the door. Dimaria backed up into her usual spot and sat down. At this point, she had made it a point to find little distractions to pass the time. Whenever she couldn't be bothered eavesdropping on the conversation in front of her, she'd often marvel at the architecture of the coliseum, noting the differences between the arena and other structures back home.

When it was Mira that opened the door, Dimaria found herself unable to concentrate on architecture. After hearing Sol pour his heart out the previous night, it made her feel a great sense of annoyance towards the Fairy Tail mage.

"Hey." Mira stood in the doorway, a sudden look of shock and embarrassment spread across her face. "Sorry to bother you."

Sol was once again unfazed and continued to get dressed. "It's fine. Sit down." He made a gesture to the front bench. Mira obliged, and looked out onto the battle below.

"I just wanted to come over and apologize for last night."

Both Sol and Dimaria were taken aback by this statement. The Fairy Tail mage had been unwavering in her feelings the previous night.

"Oh." Sol scratched his head awkwardly. "Thanks. I guess I should apologize too. I'm really not trying to be so aggressive towards you and your guild."

"It's okay, we've handled worse." Mira gave Sol a reassuring smile. "Besides, deep down, I'm pretty sure everyone in the guild knows you're just really competitive."

"I wish." Sol sat down next to her. "I've just been really stressed out, being so far from home. I've never usually felt this…conflicted."

Dimaria took a minute to digest what Sol had just said.

 _Wow. I never really thought about it like that. I mean, yeah, I'm a continent away from my home, but to be on a completely different world must be excruciating. And for seven years, no less? No wonder he feels alone._

Mira reassured him once more. "I'm sure you'll get through it. Once we've figured out how to get Serana's soul out of my body, there shouldn't be nearly as many problems."

Sol piped up at this. "Yeah, speaking of that. Is there any way you could get your Master to come in here? I have some ideas about that, but I'd like to get his opinion on it first."

"Sure thing. Let me go get him." Dimaria watched as Mira left the room, shutting the door behind her. Shortly afterward, Makarov opened the door and sat down.

"So," the white-haired Wizard Saint started, "what is it you wanted to talk about?"

"What I'm going to ask might be a bit of a stretch, just so you know beforehand." Sol leaned back on his own part of the bench. "If what I ask is not in any way relevant, please feel free to let me know so I don't waste my time."

"Well, sure, but let's hear it." Makarov was confused bordering on suspicious with Sol's kindness.

"Yesterday, during my fight with Laxus, one of the Raven Tail members mentioned something called the Lumen Histiore. I was wondering if maybe using that could help me get my friend's soul out of Mira's body?"

 _Wow, that was clever. I expected some more espionage, but he's just straight up asking Fairy Tail's master about Fairy Heart. Genius._

Makarov sat silently for a good deal of time, contemplating what Sol had just asked. He finally looked up and answered. "The Lumen Histiore is our guild's biggest secret. The fact that you even know what it's called worries me. Without trying to give you too much information, I will tell you that I'm actually not sure whether or not it could help you."

It was now Sol's turn to look confused. "You're not sure? That doesn't make much sense."

Makarov elaborated. "Well, I'm not sure how often it happens were you're from, but I've never heard of a person's soul being trapped in another body before. Again, I don't want to tell you too much, but I will say that even if you were to use the Lumen Histiore, I'm not sure if it would work."

"Well there's only one way to find out, right? Where is it, I want to get this over with." Sol's impatience grew as he realized the old man wasn't telling him anything he didn't already know.

"I can't tell you where it's at. That would put our entire guild at risk. I'm sure after the Games we'll figure out a way to get your friend back to you." Makarov stood his ground on the issue.

But Sol wasn't done yet. "With all due respect, I have no ties to your guild outside of these Games, and that isn't even my top priority right now. That would happen to be getting Serana back. Once I've got her, there's no reason for me to spill your precious secret. I'm not even from this world anyways, and I'll probably be trying to figure out a way to get back home."

Dimaria didn't know for sure if Sol was telling the truth with the last statement, which stunned her momentarily. She hadn't considered the possibility of Sol simply getting Serana back and then going back to Skyrim. While she was fairly confident that she had built up her own relationship with the Dragonborn, she found it hard to rationalize any argument that it was stronger that his bond with his now trapped friend.

Makarov indirectly snapped her out of her thoughts. "I understand your concern, but the decision to use the Lumen Histiore isn't fully up to me. There are a select few people I need to consult first."

"Who, Mavis? I'm sure she'd have to problem letting me use it." Sol played his first ace in the hole. His statement caught Makarov off guard.

"You know who Mavis is?"

"Yeah, she's the short blonde one standing on the ledge over there." Sol pointed to Mavis, who was currently watching the latest battle. "Did you forget I have the ability to use light in my magic? I can see or learn pretty much anything."

Makarov had quickly recovered from the verbal jab and countered with his own wit. "If that's the case, why even ask me about the Lumen Histiore? I'm sure it wouldn't be that difficult for you to figure it all out."

Dimaria could tell halfway into Makarov's statement that Sol had planned for him to say exactly this, and that he fell nicely into his trap.

"I consider myself to be pretty trustworthy. I see no reason to snoop around in other people's business without a clear and moral justification."

It was clear to everyone in the room that Sol had won the argument. But before Makarov could concede and tell him what he wanted to know, all three of them heard Sol's name booming throughout the stands. Frustrated, Sol cut off the conversation.

"We'll discuss this later." Sol turned around and jumped off the balcony. Dimaria simply sat and watched as Makarov left shortly afterwards. Peering down onto the arena floor, she keyed into the referee giving Sol the rundown on his next fight.

"So, as you all have noticed by now, there are five competitors on the field. The Twin Dragons from Sabertooth, Natsu and Gajeel from the newly combined Fairy Tail team, and Sol. While we previously had a straightforward system for previous tag team battles, things will be getting a bit more complicated for this matchup."

"There are three teams on the field, each vying for points. Sabertooth and Fairy Tail will both earn ten points for eliminating each other, along with an extra five points if either of them can manage to take down Sol. Sol can earn five points for defeating one of the teams, ten for defeating both."

Sol cracked his knuckled and look over at the other two teams of fighters. Both seemed more focused on each other rather than him. "Is that all? Too easy?"

"Five Dragon Slayers enter, only one team leaves. How will this showdown of epic proportions end? Only one way to find out!" Lola's voice was barely audible through the deafening roar of the crowd.

"I've been waiting my whole life for this moment." Sting smirked as he tauntingly glared at Natsu. "Time to show everyone who the strongest Dragon Slayer in Fiore is."

"Gajeel." Rogue chimed in ominously.

"So, you wanna dance, kid? Let's go." Gajeel bared his razor-sharp teeth, grinning in anticipation.

"Yeah, I'm all fired up now!" Natsu ignited his fist, ready to brawl. "And don't think I forgot about you, pal. I've been dying to wipe that grin off your face!" These words were directed toward Sol.

It was all he could do to not burst out in laughter.

"Is that so? Frankly, all four of you would be lucky to take me down if you worked together. What I'm about to do to you shouldn't even be allowed." His eyes started to glow their menacing orange in lust for battle.

Mato's final words of the day cut through the tension. "You've got thirty minutes. Good luck, and let the battle begin!"

 **Author's Note: Hey guys, sorry for such a long hiatus. I'm sure there has been some curiosity as to what I've been up to, so let me address the elephant in the room. These past few months have been pretty hectic as I have just started college! A lot of this time has actually been focused to laying out the foundation for future arcs, with the intent of creating a long-lasting story. I've got three additional arcs planned after this (Tartaros, Alvarez, and one custom arc for post-Alvarez) so expect those to be quicker in terms of publishing. I'm hesitant to plan out this arc as I want the nature of the Games to be spontaneous and energetic. Rest assured that once Day Five concludes, the story from here on out will be picking up speed, and you'll be able to enjoy more of my work.**

 **For those of you who have stuck around, thank you! Your support means the world to me! Cheers!**


	14. Clash of Dragons

Chapter 14: Clash of Dragons

_Sol's POV_

As soon as the fight started, Sol refracted slightly. He knew by waiting for the others to make their move, he could exploit the weaknesses in their style.

Natsu and Gajeel were the first to bite, but they both ignored Sol and focused on Sting and Rogue, staggering them. Sting was the first to recover, countering with a laser-like blast from his mouth, barely missing the two Fairy Tail mages.

Sol decided to turn completely invisible, focusing in on all four of his opponents.

 _Which one of you is the biggest threat?_

Upon seeing him dodge and slip through Gajeel's hands effortlessly, Sol knew Rogue's Shadow Dragon Magic was the clear antithesis of his and had to be snuffed out. Moving silently through the light, Sol concentrated his energy into a beam, piercing Rogue's shadow and forcing him into a real form. Gajeel caught him and used the opportunity to strike, sending Rogue flying. He fell near Sting, which prompted Natsu to attack the two. Both Dragon Slayers barely dodged the blow, landing cleanly a distance away.

"Not bad. Don't think we expected this to be easy, though." Sting wiped away a bit of dirt from his face, clenching his fists tightly.

"Did you really defeat your Dragons with that measly power of yours?" Natsu quipped sternly.

"Not only did we beat them, we killed the Dragons that trained us." Sting opened his palm in front of him and clenched his fist again, emphasizing his point. "Don't worry, you'll see our true strength soon enough."

Sol got bored and decided to reveal himself. He conjured a cloud in the air not too far above the others, and lay down on it, one hand propping up his head. "You people talk too much. When are you gonna fight?

"You're one to talk." Gajeel yelled back. "I haven't seen you since the fight started!"

"Yeah," Sol remarked casually as he held up Natsu's scarf and Rogue's katana in one hand, "that's the point."

Upon realizing his scarf was gone, Natsu went into a rage. "Give that back!" Propelling himself up into the sky, he set his fist ablaze, ready to strike. It was all Sol could do not to laugh.

Sol threw the scarf in Natsu's face, masking his view and causing him to miss his punch. Sol, still laying down, then took one leg and kicked Natsu in the abdomen, sending him crashing back down.

Just as he had expected, Rogue appeared out of the shadows above him, trying to catch him by surprise. Sol caught his fist, dissipated the cloud, and shifted his momentum to pound Rogue into the arena floor. Once there, he moved his hand to Rogue's neck, picking him up and choking him.

"Rogue!" Sting ran towards his ally, but Sol shot a bolt of lightning at Sting, hitting him squarely in the chest and knocking the wind out of him.

"Sleep." With his words, Rogue became unconscious, under a spell. Sol then proceeded to throw his body at the wall below the Sabertooth viewing box, much to their chagrin.

Natsu was up now, his anger quelled at the relief of having his scarf back, but still focused his attention on Sol. "You really are despicable."

"What, beating him? That was calculated. Same with taking your scarf. It's almost an art form." Sol gloated from a distance, watching the three remaining competitors.

"And what about honor? Don't you have any digni-" Natsu was interrupted by Sting's fist, which sent him flying across the arena. Gajeel took a wild swing, but Sting dodged it and kicked him away.

 _At least this one gets it._

Sting rose up in the air and built up his attack. Not wanting to be hit, Sol refracted once more, still visible enough to be a target. It was all Natsu and Gajeel could do to block the blow.

"White Dragon's Holy Breath!" Sting unleashed his attack on the Fairy Tail mages, shattering the ground beneath them. The three of them went into free fall, still attempting to battle mid-air. Taking advantage of the distraction, Sol refracted completely, becoming invisible once again.

 _Let the circus begin…_

Sol watched as the battle slowly unfolded before him. From his observation, he could tell Sting had activated some sort of special ability to gather more strength, though he wasn't sure what it was. It wasn't long before Sting had emerged victorious.

 _Good._

Just as Sol was about to make his move and finish off the unsuspecting Dragon Slayer, however, Natsu and Gajeel miraculously made a recovery.

"What? How?!" Sting took a step back, almost walking through Sol in his shock. "I used Dragon Force!"

 _Dragon Force, huh? Thanks._

"You're strong, that's for sure. I feel like a train ran over me." Natsu and Gajeel proceeded to stretch out their various limbs, working out the kinks in their body. "I'll be feeling that one for weeks."

Sol took a step back from the situation to observe his surroundings. From what he could tell, they had managed to reach an abandoned mineshaft, presumably used during the city's founding.

By the time he had snapped out of his thoughts, the situation had taken an interesting turn.

"Whoops!" Natsu feigned regret as he pushed Gajeel into a nearby minecart and down one of the pitch-black shafts. If not for his resolve to stay hidden, Sol would've shouted in surprise.

"What the hell was that for?! He's your teammate!" Sting was just as perplexed as anyone.

"Don't think I forgot about you, pal. Your turn." Natsu walked over and punched Sting squarely in the face, sending him flying into a nearby boulder, smashing it to pieces. Sting barely recovered, delivering another breath attack that barely missed the Fairy Tail mage. In the end, Natsu was left standing over his newly defeated foe.

"That was fun. Let's do it again sometime." Natsu grinned from ear to ear as he celebrated his victory.

This celebration was to be short lived.

Shortly after this, Natsu's face turned to pain as he clutched his stomach, falling to his knees in anguish. Right in from of him, Sol reappeared, holding a few small rocks in one hand.

"If you were wondering why you're in pain right now, it's not because I placed a couple of these in your body." Sol gestured to the rocks in his hand. "That was merely a consequence of you forgetting I was still here, which is really why you're at my mercy right now."

Sol picked up Natsu by the throat and stood him upright, letting go when he felt the fire mage was able to properly stand. "You have one minute to burn away the stones and fight me with this so-called 'honor.' Otherwise, I'll just have to keep embarrassing you."

Natsu grimaced in anger, flexing his muscles and building up what energy he could to rise to the challenge. Sol at this point had turned his back, walking away to a nearby rock to sit and wait.

"If you don't mind, I'll be meditating while you work on that." Sol sat up on the rock and closed his eyes, sitting cross-legged in a relaxed manner.

 _Five… Four… Three… Two…_

Sol opened his eyes just in time to see Natsu coming at him, fists drenched in flames. He casually dodged the blow, shifting his body to the side and letting him whiff.

"What is wrong with you?!" Natsu looked back after his miss to visible disgust and hatred. "I thought you said you wanted test your strength with these Games. If you're gonna fight me, then QUIT RUNNING!"

Natsu moved to strike again, but this time Sol moved with lightning speed, counterattacking with nightmarish efficiency. The one blow sent Natsu flying into the wall, leaving an impact crater in his wake.

"That hasn't changed!" Sol turned up the volume, visibly upset by what Natsu said. "I'm just waiting for one of you to actually give me a challenge!" With his last words, Sol picked up a large rock and threw it above Natsu's head, causing a cascade of debris to cover him.

It didn't take long for him to burn away the stone, melting the rubble away and emerging mid-strike. This took Sol by surprise, and Natsu managed to hit him square in the face, staggering the Dragonborn several feet.

"Even if that's the case, you're going about it the wrong way." Natsu lowered his fists, standing defiantly in front of Sol. "This is a competition. You're supposed to respect your opponents. You haven't done that once."

"I don't need a lecture from you." Sol, visibly flustered, shouted. " _ **FUS!**_ " While his words were powerful, they were unfocused, causing Sol to miss Natsu and hit the wall behind him, creating a brand-new tunnel several dozen feet deep.

As Natsu dodged the shout, he moved toward Sol and struck him again, this time in the chest. The impact of the blow combined with Sol's poor stance sent him airborne, crashing hard a good distance away. Natsu followed it up with a breath attack, pinning Sol against the wall and melting the rock around him, which quickly hardened armor, leaving him stuck.

" _ **Wuld!**_ " Sol used another shout to quick break out of mold, leaving him face to face with Natsu. Grabbing him by the arm, Sol slung the Fairy Tail mage around and slammed him into the ground. He then shot up into the air, past the hole and above the coliseum. Then, with tremendous force, shot himself back down, intending to smash directly into Natsu. In his haste, he gave Natsu enough time to recover.

Natsu anticipated the move and rolled over, avoiding the impact. When he managed to get himself up, he saw Sol laying face down, armor cracked and covered in blood and dust. When he got up, Natsu simply grabbed him and pushed him back down.

"You don't win by making others feel small. You win by showing the world just how strong you are, and how strong your bonds make you. This is a team competition, something you didn't seem to realize when you joined. Maybe that's why you lost to Mira."

Wrong move.

As Natsu began walking away, Sol snapped. Getting up with several broken bones, he shouted as loud as he could, causing a mild earthquake throughout the city and the surrounding countryside. Then, glowing with rage, he shot toward Natsu and punched him with all the energy he had left. Natsu was lucky to be alive afterwards.

Sol's energy finally ran out, leaving him a complete mess. As his vision began fading to black, he looked at Natsu, who was barely conscious himself. It took all he could give just to get his voice above a whisper, finally succumbing to the darkness.

"Don't lecture me about making bonds. You have no idea what I've been through."

 **A/N: Another month, another chapter. I might just try to get these next few done within the week, as I might actually have some free time between college. It's hard to manage academics, physical activity, social life and extracurricular activity, let alone a passion project like this one. For all of you who've stuck it out with me so far, thank you! I am definitely finishing this story, however long it takes. Also, if you ever think I'm taking too long to publish a new chapter, feel free to DM me. I get an email whenever someone DMs me on this website, so I'll definitely read it. As always, you are more than welcome to leave a review or send me a message regarding what you think of the story, and I'll be happy to address your concerns. Cheers!**


	15. Day Four, Part Two

Chapter 15: Day Four, Part Two

_Sol's POV_

Sol opened his eyes to find himself once again within the medical ward. He tried to move his arms, but barely could without causing himself an extreme amount of pain. In fact, he couldn't move any part of his body. Realizing he should focus his energy on something other than staring at the ceiling, he closed his eyes.

A smile slowly crept up his face…

"How many of you are there?" His voice had been reduced to a hoarse whisper.

"Enough." Sol recognized Erza's voice as clear as day. "Considering you likely aren't going anywhere for a while, it's about time we address the elephant in the room."

"The only person I'll apologize to is Mira." Sol managed to face his palm upward in an attempt to gesture. "And that's because we already discussed this."

"If you must know, Mira's actually the only person who isn't mad at you. Guess what you said explains why." This voice was Gray's.

"Where's Natsu? I hope I didn't overdo it." Sol strained his neck in anguish, trying to find the pink-haired mage.

"Actually, he's completely fine. Wendy did a pretty good job healing him." Porlyusica chimed in. "He's just lucky you were as weak as you were when you hit him."

"Well that's good, I suppose." Sol closed his eyes once again, conserving his energy.

"You 'suppose'? You've got some kinda nerve!" The electricity laced in the words made it clear to Sol just how angry Laxus was.

"Cool it, Laxus." Makarov scolded the Dragon Slayer, then turned his attention to Sol. "We heard what you said at the end of the fight. Nobody here is questioning your passion. But there's no place for your behavior in combat"

Sol took a deep breath, his chest sinking in relaxation. "Maybe not in your world. I know I can't make you understand, but from where I come from, it's kill-or-be-killed. That's not exactly a mindset I can just turn off whenever I want."

"But you've openly recognized that this is a competition. So why go about it in such a horrific manner?" Sol didn't know her name, but he recognized the voice as belonging to one of the cats.

"As far as I know, we're not meant to put on a show out there. We get points or don't get points based on how we place in the events, and whether or not we win or lose in battle. If you really expect me to go about winning any other way, you're out of luck."

"Well, that's our culture, and as an outsider, you should be more respectful of our customs. Travelling anywhere should've taught you that." Levy piped in this time.

"Yeah, putting rocks in someone's stomach is gruesome and so not manly!" Elfman backed her up.

"Fine." Sol was tired of being critiqued. "You want me to fight like you? Tomorrow I'll just cast a sleeping spell on you like I did Rogue, and you can have all the happy dreams and impossible fantasies you want!"

For once, the room didn't have an immediate response. It was clear they had struck some sort of nerve. It was Lucy who finally had the courage to speak up.

"Sol, what's wrong?"

The question hit Sol like an emotional freight train. It reminded him back to the previous night, when Dimaria was trying to comfort him. It didn't help that the concern in Lucy's voice mirrored her own.

"I…" Sol choked on his words as an incredible sadness overcame him. It was his turn to sit in silence. But before it could get to him, the pain his body was in forced his mind away from confessing his true feelings. "Why do you care?"

"Because whatever it is that's affecting you, it's causing you to take it out on us. That's a problem." Erza walked toward the bed and placed a hand on Sol's shoulder. "Whatever it is you're going through, we can help."

"Thanks for the offer, but I've gotten along by myself just fine this far." Against every nerve in his body, Sol got up out of bed.

"Look at all those scars." Happy was dumbfounded to see Sol's back, which was covered in the things.

"If you must know, I got most of those killing dragons." Sol walked slowly toward a nearby table, recognizing his bag. Once there, he pulled out a blue colored potion and took of the cap, chugging the contents. "Whoever thought to gather my things, it's much appreciated."

It took Sol a moment to realize that the room had once again gone silent. He turned around to see everyone in the room was in utter disbelief. Casting a small healing spell, he simply looked down at the floor and smiled.

"I guess that doesn't happen a lot here, does it?" Sol began scratching the back of his head, concocting some sort of explanation to get him out of this awkward situation.

"You've…killed…dragons?" Makarov was the first to speak up.

"At least a few dozen, yeah. I don't know, I've sorta lost count." Sol simply shrugged his shoulders. "Again, I'm from a different world, so nothing should be surprising to you people."

"Wait, how are you fine all of the sudden?!" Wendy, Lucy, and Levy all seemed in sync in their confusion.

"I'm not going to take the time explaining myself when I literally just told you to not be surprised by anything."

"These dragons you've slain," Erza asked, "can you describe them?"

"Well, from what information I've read about your world, there aren't very many differences. Dragons from my world don't have arms, and dragons from your world don't Shout. That's all I've really got so far."

"Wait, what's 'Shouting'?" Gray asked, befuddled.

"Look, I'm not getting into this with all of you right now. Ask me again later, and I might have some books for you to read." Levy seemed to light up at this. "Right now, I've gotta go get some rest for the finale tomorrow."

Sol grabbed his bag and walked out of the infirmary, and quickly refracted back to the inn.

The one person he was looking forward to seeing was there waiting for him when he finally arrived.

"There you are!" Dimaria leaped off the couch and squeezed Sol tightly. "I was worried sick about you."

"Well, as you can clearly see, I'm back to normal." Sol reciprocated the hug, glad to be in a somewhat familiar place. "How long was I out?"

"A few hours." Dimaria stepped back to take a look at him. "How did you recover so quickly?"

"I healed myself, which is apparently rare around here." Sol looked down at his own body, finally realizing just how beat up his armor was. Fixing it wouldn't be an issue.

"Yeah." Dimaria gave him a quizzical look for a brief moment before going in for another hug. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Me too. I hope you managed to get back here alright?" It was Sol's turn to ask questions.

"Yeah, it took me a bit longer than last time, but nobody saw me."

"Good. You wanna go grab a bite to eat? I'm starving."

"Sounds good to me."

Not long after, Sol and Dimaria had changed and left. Walking throughout the city, they couldn't decide what they were in the mood to eat, so they just picked a restaurant at random, this one called Mamak Tavern. Due to Sol's status in the Games, they were once again able to get the best seats, an upstairs table next to a window looking over the street.

"Let's hope we aren't interrupted this time." Sol jokingly remarked as he pulls out Dimaria's chair and offered her a seat.

This time it was Dimaria who saw the Fairy Tail mages enter the building.

"With your luck, I think it'd be best if you just didn't say anything."

Sol looked downstairs to see Gray and Juvia being waited to a table. As they were brought upstairs, Sol thought back to their conversation earlier.

 _I've gotta start making amends sometime…_

"You know what, those two actually aren't that bad. Mind if I ask them to join us?" Sol lightheartedly asked Dimaria.

Needless to say, she was at a loss for words. "Uh…sure, go ahead."

"Alright."

Sol got up out of his chair and walked downstairs to greet the two. Gray tensed up upon seeing him.

"Didn't expect to see you here. Thought you wanted to get ready for tomorrow."

"There isn't a whole lot of food back at the inn, and I'm out with a friend. I was wondering if you'd like to join us?" Sol made a welcoming gesture, hoping Gray would see the olive branch he was trying to extend.

Juvia got the hint first. "We'd love to. Come on, Gray." She pulled on the ice mage's arm, beckoning him to follow. He did, and the three of them approached the table.

"I guess I should start by introducing my friend…" Sol quickly found himself in a jam. He didn't think to give Dimaria an alias.

"Delphine." Dimaria offered an outstretched hand, which Gray and Juvia both shook. "I'm reporting on the Games."

 _Well that was easy. She must've remembered Delphine from our talk last night._

"A reporter, huh? So, do you work for Sorcerer Weekly?" Gray began flipping through the menu, searching for something to eat.

"Well, not exactly." Dimaria looked down at the table, scratching her head.

"She's an aspiring reporter and asked if she could cover me during the Games as her 'big break'." Sol used quotation marks, playfully looking at Dimaria. The look on her face was one of gratitude.

"Well you've certainly been a big story so far." Juvia gestured to one of the nearby Lacrima TV's, which showed the Games current standings:

1st – Sol 48 pts

2nd – Fairy Tail 45 pts

3rd – Sabertooth 44 pts

T-4th – Mermaid Heel 40 pts

T-4th – Lamia Scale 40 pts

6th – Blue Pegasus 30 pts

7th – Quattro Cerberus 15 pts

"That's odd," Sol curiously noted, "shouldn't I only have 43 points?"

"Because you took down Rogue, and Natsu took down Sting, the officials decided to give you both the full points. So, we got 10, while you got 5. Not to mention the 5 you got for beating Natsu." Gray looked up from his menu to explain.

"Oh, that makes sense." Sol took the time to look at his own menu. He was still fairly new to Earthland, so most of the items were fairly foreign to him. Let alone the fact that virtually none of the inns in Skyrim had menus to begin with.

"Yeah, it was one hell of a fight." Dimaria chimed in, her menu already set aside. "It was hard to tell who was going to win at the end."

"I suppose I did get pretty careless towards the end there. If I had been smart, I would've just frozen him."

"Oh, don't worry, I've tried that plenty of times." Gray chuckled a bit as he put down his menu. "That flame-brain always manages to melt his way out."

"I totally forgot, you're an ice mage! Here, tell me what you think of this." Sol opened his palm and summoned a single ice crystal and handed it to Gray. "I've been trying for a long time to find the right balance between temperature and brittleness, but I feel like I'm missing something."

While Gray casually held the crystal in his hand, it was clear Juvia and Dimaria were both mildly uncomfortable with how cold it had become. "For someone who doesn't specialize in ice magic all of the time, I'd say it's pretty good. You could definitely get it colder though; I wouldn't be too worried about it shattering just yet."

"Colder?! Are you kidding? I'm shivering from over here!" Dimaria had begun rubbing her arms, warming herself up.

"Sorry about that." Sol snapped his fingers, and the crystal vanished in thin air out of Gray's hands. "Thanks for the advice."

"Yeah, no problem."

At this point, the waiter arrived to take everyone's order. Sol purchased a bottle of wine for the table, and as they waited the conversation shifted back to the Games.

"I wonder what the finale will look like tomorrow." Dimaria took a curious sip from her glass.

"Oh, they actually gave up some pretty good information about it after the fight today." Juvia put down her own glass to explain.

"You don't say? I assume I was still unconscious at the time?" Sol shifted in his chair to face Gray and Juvia, his interest piqued.

"Yeah. Apparently, it's gonna be a free-for-all. Each team member you take down is worth one point, while the designated team captain is worth five. You don't know who the captain is, and the whole city is the battlefield." Gray made gestured with his hands on the table to draw it out.

"Huh." Sol set down his glass of water. "Did they say anything about any special rules for me?"

"Yeah, apparently taking you down is worth 10 points." Juvia took a sip from her glass.

"Guess I'll be getting a lot of action then. Good." Sol leaned back in his chair, a smile growing on his face.

"Yeah, I'm sure we'll be seeing each other a bit more before all of this is over." Gray smirked, taking a drink from his own glass of water. Ice water, of course. "Still haven't figured out a strategy to beat you yet, but I'm sure the others are working on it."

"Isn't it obvious? Take out enough of the other contestants without me holding the lead." Sol ended this statement with a laugh, and thankfully the others at the table recognized the playful nature of the statement and laughed with him.

"Well, I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun, and regardless of who wins, it'll be a great story for you to write about." Juvia turned her attention to Dimaria.

"Yeah, I'm sure it will. Although, I must admit, sometimes I'll pay so much attention to the fights that I forget to write about them."

Another laugh around the table.

"They definitely are something to see. It's really cool that they started this who tournament. Before, guild ranks were just based on popular opinion. Now at least there's a set order to things." Juvia took yet another sip of wine.

"Yeah, not to mention the cool 30 million Jewel the winner gets to take home." Gray leaned back, emphasizing 'cool'. "What would you do with that kind of money?"

"Me? Oh, I don't know." Sol looked up toward the ceiling. He genuinely hadn't thought about it. "There's not much I really need to buy. I'd probably just spend it all on training my magic."

"Smart." Dimaria chimed in. "The best investment anyone can make is in themselves. If it were me, I'd probably buy a small vacation home on the beach, maybe start a garden."

In that moment, Sol looked at Dimaria and realized just how beautiful she was, inside and out. It was the small things, like her answer to Gray's question, that gave her the innocent contrast she needed to balance with her professional demeanor. After all, it was rare in Sol's experience to deal with a bodyguard who had as much passion, charisma and wit as she did.

"Gardening, huh? Pretty sure you could talk to that girl Beth from Mermaid Heel about that." Juvia got another laugh from the table.

"Yeah." Dimaria took a sip of wine, giving Sol a subtle look that told him just how little of a damn she cared about Beth.

At last, their food had arrived, and everyone dug in. The conversation went on, but Sol found most of it to be forgettable. Crocus, the Games, each other, none of it really mattered when there was a stomach to feed. Sol often enjoyed eating quietly, using the time to think and reflect, but he didn't mind keeping up the small talk when it was necessary.

Some time later, the four had finished their meals. Juvia insisted on getting dessert with Gray, but Sol said he was too tired and wanted to head back to the inn. After paying their share of the bill, the two couples said their goodbyes to one another, and Dimaria and the Dragonborn were back out on the street.

"Well that certainly went better than last time." Dimaria looked over to Sol, a reassuring smile on her face.

"Yeah, definitely." Sol smiled back, recalling once again their encounter with Mira and Laxus.

 _They weren't so bad. Maybe one day we could be friends._

Then Sol remembered why he was even there in the first place, and he felt an emotional wave wash away a good deal of energy. He looked back at Dimaria, her golden hair shining brilliantly with the sunset, and some of that energy came back.

"I'm glad I met you."

Dimaria turned at looked at him, her smile growing even bigger. "I'm glad I met you too."

She reached out with her hand, and he took it, holding it with a firm yet gentle grasp. And together, as the sky turned from light blue to a magnificent golden orange, they walked back to the inn.

 **A/N: Hey, guess you weren't expecting another Chapter so quickly, were you? Well, guess what, SURPRISE! I finally sat down and took the time to plan out Day 5, which is going to be the chapter after this one. Honestly, if I hadn't put that off, I could've gotten this done a lot sooner, but I guess we should just focus on the now. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, where Sol and Dimaria appear to open up a bit more to the rest of the outside world, particularly Fairy Tail. Thought it might be some nice character development. Expect this arc to be finished up within the next few chapters.**

 **Speak of which, I would like to get your input on this. Should I publish each arc as its own separate story, or just post all of the arcs in this story and clearly mark them as separate? I personally don't lean one way or the other, I think there could be advantages and disadvantages to both. Let me know what you think either through the Review page or DMs. Cheers!**


	16. Day Five

Chapter 16: Day Five

_Sol vs Quattro Cerberus_

Sol stood in a courtyard deep within the city. He raised his hand to the sky, heat from the Sun radiating onto his palm. He took a deep breath and focused on the ground beneath him, listening to the cracks. He had been sitting there for several minutes. The final day had only just begun.

 _Finally, someone showed up._

He opened his eyes to see all of Quattro Cerberus standing in front of him. The five men were all in attack position, their eyes giddy with excitement.

"I can't believe we actually found him!" Rocker shouted out.

"Alright, boys! It's about time we start our comeback!" Bacchus hyped up the group. "After today, everyone's gonna know that Quattro Cerberus is the strongest guild in Fiore! Because we're – "

Sol cut the five of them down in one blow, blasting them all backward into a nearby building. Nine points.

He walked over to the group and leaned over, a smile on his face. "Because you're wild." He then summoned five bottles of Skooma out of thin air, setting them all down in front of the group. "Better luck next year."

The group could only watch as Sol walked off, beginning his search for other competitors.

_Sol vs Beth, Risley and Jenny_

It wasn't long before Sol managed to find Blue Pegasus and Mermaid Heel skirmishing in the streets. At first glance, he noticed that neither Ichiya nor Kagura were present at the battle, but he had expected nothing less. Dealing with them separately was favorable, anyways.

The two sides both stopped their fight as they noticed Sol's magic power. They turned to see the Dragonborn walking calmly down the street, a hood masking his face.

"Hey, what are you doing here? Can't you see we're in the middle of something?" Jenny yelled.

"Technically, we're all in the middle of something." Sol continued walking, not bothering to look at any of them.

"That's not what I meant!" Jenny was flustered now. "What are we standing here for, isn't he worth ten points? Get him!"  
The four Blue Pegasus members charged him but were knocked back when Sol casted a wind spell around him.

"This is ridiculous! Aren't you gonna fight us?" Jenny pouted, getting up off the ground.

"I thought you'd never ask." Sol then pointed his finger at Jenny and sent a lightning bolt directly at her, blasting her backward into a nearby fountain. Needless to say, she was out of the competition for good.

Sol barely turned in time to deflect a blow from Risley and Beth, who had snuck up on him from the opposite side.

"Arana, Millianna, you take care of Blue Pegasus! We've got this." Risley yelled out to her companions with confidence.

"Are you really trying to test my patience?" Sol's tone of voice shifted to mild annoyance.

"Nope, just proving to everyone who the strongest girls in Fiore are!" Beth launched another attack at Sol, but this one simply missed.

"Some of the strongest warriors I've ever met in my life are women." Sol raised one hand, frost forming on his fingertips. "You two aren't one of them."

Sol pointed his palm out at Risley and Beth, freezing them like statues where they stood.

Arana and Millianna both shouted out "Hey!" in unison as they saw what fate befell their comrades. This brief distraction gave the three remaining Blue Pegasus members enough time to wipe them out in quick order.

The three looked up just in time to see Sol disappear behind the corner of the street, out of sight as the presence of his magic faded.

_Sol vs Ichiya_

Jura saw Ichiya a short distance away, his back turned as he watched Hibiki get frozen in Gray's ice. He was about to strike down the Blue Pegasus leader when he heard a voice. One he was all too familiar with.

"We meet again, Wizard Saint." Jura turned to see Sol walking toward him calmly, shrouded in darkness. "Tell me. Do you really expect to win?"

Jura didn't bother to waste words, sending a small rock pillar directly for Sol's chest. It passed right through him.

"So, I guess you aren't gonna fight me, huh? Why is that not surprising?" Jura pulled back the rock pillar, making it disappear.

"Because I'm smarter than you give me credit for." Sol continued to walk straight at Jura, not pausing for a second. "Why defeat you when I could knock out two birds with one stone?"

A look of confusion spread across the Wizard Saint's face. "What?"

"Oh, if only you'd open your eyes. I'm sure you'd catch on then." Sol was now within arms length of Jura, but he continued to walk right through him, sending chills down his spine.

Jura turned around to look at Sol, but he had vanished. He looked around further to see Ichiya had suddenly disappeared. That's when it hit him.

"Two birds… with one stone." Jura felt completely embarrassed when he realized what Sol had meant. Scoring points alone wasn't good enough. He meant to win by scoring points while also taking points away from his competitors. Clever.

_Sol vs Kagura_

Erza found herself staring down two of the strongest women in the competition. The tension in the air was palpable, an enemy striking at any given moment.

In unison, they broke toward one another at blinding speed. It was at this moment that Sol decided to make his move.

He appeared standing in the middle of all three women, deflecting all three of their blows as they struck. His presence alone had startled all of them, leaving them vulnerable. Sol proceeded to knock them all back to where they originally stood.

"You?" Minerva's face held a look somewhere between confusion and disgust.

"The lone wolf." Kagura somberly gripped her katana with determination.

"What are you doing here?" Erza prepared her own sword, scowling as the words came out.

"My suspicion is that all three of you are leaders." Sol remained where he stood, looking up at the sky as opposed to any one of the surrounding women. "The question is, which one of you should I beat?"

"If your so confident in your abilities, why not take out all three of us?" Erza stood as firm as her words.

"Ha! Like he'd ever get the chance." Minerva scoffed, raising her hands and summoning an explosion directly in front of Sol.

The explosion appeared to do nothing, as Sol simply stepped through it. "Well, for one, beating all of you wouldn't be very entertaining to the crowd, and I'm sure I'd never hear the end of it." He began walking away from the group. "Besides, you should've learned by now that the most dangerous enemy is the quiet one. I've already made my choice."

Erza and Minerva both gave confused looks at each other before they turned around to see Kagura had seemingly disappeared. They both turned back to see Sol waving goodbye as he walked away.

"Guess I'll be seeing one of you later."

It didn't take long for the two women to realize what his parting words implied. Simultaneously, they turned to face each other, both determined to win.

_Dimaria's POV_

Dimaria watched Sol confront the three women on the battlefield below. Part of her wished she could be down there instead of him, just to show them what a true goddess of war could do.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she saw a translucent Sol sat down next to her. "Having fun?"

"Not really." Dimaria put one hand on her chin, hunched over in mild disappointment as she watched multiple screens displaying the remaining competitors. "Care for an update?"

"Sure, why not."

"Well, right after you left them, Hibiki and Eve got taken out by Toby and Yuka. They almost got Ren too, but Sting stole the point. While they were distracted, Rufus took them out with that shooting stars attack."

"They really didn't figure that one out?"

"Guess not. Doesn't matter, cause not long after that he got into a fight with Gray. It looked like Rufus was gonna win, but Gray managed to pull it off somehow. Gotta hand it to him."

"Yeah, him and Juvia seem like nice enough people."

"Yeah," Dimaria agreed, "they're actually fighting Sherria and Lyon right now. In fact, all of Fairy Tail is fighting right now. Gajeel vs Rogue, Laxus against Olga and Jura, and…"

"…Erza and Minerva." Sol looked up at the screen showing the fight he just left. The two hadn't taken long to get back in action and were exchanging blows at the moment.

"The only person they can't seem to find on camera is Sting. Guess he's playing the long game for now."

"Ha. Jokes on him, I've been playing it this whole time." Sol got up and started to fade away as he walked toward the door.

"Uh, speaking of that, what exactly did you do to Ichiya and Kagura?" Dimaria turned to stop Sol from leaving.

"Basically, the same thing I've been doing with you the past few days. I hid them."

"Are you really gonna be all mysterious and not tell me?" Dimaria crossed her arms, a look of mild annoyance spreading across her face.

Sol turned around just as he reached the door, and an orange spark ignited in his eye as he winked. "Do you really want to know?" And without another word, he disappeared.

It was the kind of devilish look that made Dimaria scared, excited, nervous and in love all in one instant. And she couldn't stand it.

 _What a nerd…_

_Sol's POV_

It had been about an hour since Sol had left to see Dimaria back at the coliseum. The sun had set, and all was quiet. He ran through the events since his arrival in Earthland during this time, lying down on a bench underneath the shade of an oak tree.

 _What a crazy couple of months…_

He remembered at this point that Mavis said he'd been trapped on Tenrou for seven years.

Seven years away from home.

Sol was snapped out of his thoughts when a white explosion flourished in the night sky not too far away from him. He could hear a faint shouting, a voice he recognized as Sting's, but couldn't make out exactly what he said.

 _Who cares what he said? Just get the job done._

Sol picked himself up off the bench and set off toward Sting to meet his challenge. It wasn't long before he arrived.

"…I'm trying to treat you with the respect you deserve. That's why I'll destroy you all together!" Sol could see Sting gloating in front of the injured Fairy Tail team. Apparently, the message was for them too. "I've been waiting for this moment. I'll show you how strong I've become. I'll do it for Lector!"

"Enough talk from you." Sol stepped forward out of the shadows and hit Sting with a paralysis spell, then with his other hand used a telekinesis spell to pick up Sting's frozen body and hurl him through the air and into some nearby shrubbery. "Why don't you rest for a bit?"

"You." Laxus snarled through gritted teeth. "Let's get this over with, I've been dying to wipe the smirk off your face."

"Is that so? Well, if we're going to be fair about this…" Sol put out his hand and cast a healing spell on five mages in front of him. They were suddenly back to full strength, much to their surprise. "What, did you really think I was gonna let you fight me in the shape you were in? That's no fun."

"Doesn't really seem like your style." Gajeel cracked his knuckles and his jaw, testing out his newly healed limbs. "Oh well, you're only up by one point, and we know how to beat you."

Sol's smirk widened. "You know, it's funny just how wrong one can be in a single sentence."

The Fairy Tail mages stood silent, momentarily perplexed at what Sol had just said.

"What are you playing at?" Erza stepped forward, sword in hand.

"Well, to start, you don't know how to beat me. You only have a guess." Sol gestured as if he were explaining himself to a group of children. "And I'm afraid you won't get the chance to find out, because I'm going to surrender to you."

 **"WHAT!"** A collective gasp from the group in front of him. Gray stepped forward out of shock. "Why would you do that?!"

Juvia piped in cheerily behind him. "Does this mean we win, darling? Oh, I'm so excited."

"No, Juvia." Sol lowered his head, barely holding in laughter. "It doesn't."

"How could that be? We saw the scoreboard just before coming over here, it said you were only up by one. If you surrender, we'd win by nine! Explain yourself!" Gajeel yelled in typical Gajeel fashion.

"Why don't you ask Erza? Seems like she's figured it out." Sol gestured to the Fairy Queen, who had her head bowed in seething rage.

"You…monster." She could barely get the words out through gritted teeth. "She wasn't the only one, was she?"

"Of course not. I managed to get Ichiya before we met up, too." Sol snapped his fingers, and the short wizard along with Kagura appeared unconscious at his feet. "If I did the math correctly, that should be ten points. Now I'm up by eleven. Game over."

The group looked on in dismay as they realized what had just happened. Laxus was the first to speak up. "What did you do to them, you freak?"

"If I told you I kept my word from yesterday and just put them under a sleeping spell, would you believe me? If we're being honest here, it doesn't matter what I did to them. They're unharmed but incapacitated, and that means I win."

They stood in silence for a few moments before Lola's voice cracked through the sky and declared Sol the winner. Fireworks soon lit up the night above them.

 _I did it. I won._

"Oh, and one more thing, Gajeel." The Dragonborn signaled to the Dragon Slayer, who looked up in surprise. "If you took a moment to reflect, I'm sure you'd realize you were also wrong in saying that what just occurred is 'not my style'."

"Yeah, whatever." Gajeel scowled, looking at the ground in frustration. In fact, all five of the Fairy Tail wizards seemed incredibly distraught. Sol realized in that moment that the competition was over, and he didn't have to act like such an ass anymore.

 _Now's the time to build bridges, not burn them._

"But what I'm about to do certainly isn't." He spoke up, and the group looked up in anticipation of an attack. Instead, a large box appeared in Sol's hands. He set it down and opened it up, revealing the 30 million Jewel in prize money from winning the competition.

"Look, I know I may have not been the nicest guy in the word these past few days." Sol scratched his head. He was never good at apologies. "But I only act that way because I'm competitive. That's the only reason I even joined these Games in the first place. It was never about the money." He looked down at the box, then sat it down in front of them. "I don't have any use for it, and since I competed alone, you guys are still the strongest guild. Take it."

All five of them were completely bewildered at this point. Nobody, not even Sol himself, had expected this sudden change of heart. While Gajeel and Laxus still looked at him with anger, Gray walked right up to Sol.

"We get it, man. No hard feelings." He extended a hand, and it took Sol a second to realize that he was meant to shake it. Remembering the dinner they had shared the previous night, he took the olive branch and they shook hands.

Needless to say, Juvia's mood lightened considerably. Erza, after checking to make sure Kagura, Ichiya, and Sting were alright, accepted Sol's apology. Gajeel scoffed at the idea of getting sentimental when Juvia brought it up, and Laxus remained silent, much to Sol's disappointment.

 _Guess some are gonna take longer than others._

"Say, I know Natsu and I got into it pretty hard yesterday, but why wasn't he competing today?"

The group seemed to not know how to answer that question, which began to worry him. If they couldn't directly say, then chances were that they were trying to keep a secret, and that they were worried he'd go looking.

Again, Gray seemed to be the most open and approachable of the group. "It's complicated, but we could actually use your help, if you wouldn't mind."

"Of course, I'd love to help."

Sol and Gray both looked at the others. While the group seemed hesitant to agree with Gray's offer, they came to the consensus that it was worth it.

"Great, Master Makarov will fill you in on the details. Let's go"

 **A/N: Well, that's it for the Grand Magic Games! Now all that's left is the Dragon King Festival and Eclipse. I tried to mix it up with this last day in terms of separating the different battles, leave a review letting me know what you guys think. Cheers!**


	17. Eclipse

Chapter 17: Eclipse

_Sol's POV_

Sol, Makarov, and the five Fairy Tail mages were now gathered in his viewing box to discuss the situation with Natsu. The whole situation put him on edge. It was bad enough that he had to hide Dimaria from a group of relative strangers, but it was another thing entirely to have to wait while said strangers delivered news of some mysterious danger.

"Why the waiting around? If your friends are really in as much trouble as you make it seem, shouldn't we be going about this process quickly?" Sol sat on the balcony edge, facing the group stood in front of him.

"Makarov and Mavis are much wiser than any of us. If anyone can come up with a successful plan, it's them." Erza had her arms folded as she rather bluntly responded.

"That's all well and good, but that doesn't mean you can't at least spare some details while we wait." Sol folded his own arms in mild protest.

"Fine." Gajeel looked over from where he leaned against the wall, the usual gruffness in his voice present. "Back during our tag team battle the other day, Natsu knocked me down a mineshaft."

"I remember. Pretty stupid move but go on."

That comment seemed to get a small chuckle out of Gray. "Wouldn't be the first time."

"Anyways," Gajeel continued, annoyed at being reminded of his failure, "turns out that there's a dragon graveyard underneath the coliseum."

"Gajeel brought some of us down to see for ourselves, but before we could leave, we were stopped by Arcadios." Gray

"Who?"

"He's the Kingdom's top knight. We thought he was a bad guy at first but turns out he was working with Yukino to execute the Eclipse Project."

"Woah woah woah, slow down." Sol stopped Gray from going any further. "I know Yukino is that one girl from Sabertooth, but what the hell is this Eclipse Project?"

Seemingly on cue, Makarov and Mavis walked in, the former answering the Dragonborn's question. "It's meant to stop the black wizard Zeref and the black dragon Acnologia. By using the Eclipse Gate to go back in time, Arcadios plans to stop the two from ever becoming what they are now in the first place."

Neither of them made it noticeable, but Sol and Dimaria's hearts both skipped a beat.

 _Zeref and Acnologia?! Why the hell are they always involved?_

"Go on."

"In a prophecy from long ago, it was told that an eclipse would occur the night dragons came back to Earthland, an event known as the Dragon King Festival." Mavis stepped forward. "Not only is there meant to be an eclipse tonight but considering that the dragons who raised Natsu and the other Dragon Slayers all disappeared on this same day fourteen years ago, we have reason to believe that the Dragon King Festival is tonight."

"Wait a minute, can he even see her?" Laxus interjected, finally speaking. "I thought only those with the guild mark could see the First Master."

"A large part of my magic is centered around the use of light, you know. I can see many things." Sol chided the Dragon Slayer. "Anyways, what do you need me to do?"

"Well, Darton, one of the other high-ranking members of the Kingdom, had Arcadios and Yukino imprisoned. They took Lucy too, which is why Natsu and the others are gone. We couldn't possibly get to them in time, but you can. We need you to find them and help us figure out how to stop the prophecy." Erza finished off the guild's request.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do." Sol walked over to his bag, secretly grabbing Dimaria's hand along with it. "After this though, you better help me figure out how to get me and my friend back home."

"You got it." Makarov was about to reach out to shake Sol's hand, but he quickly disappeared before he got the chance.

"What a freak." Laxus bounced himself off the wall and began walking out the door.

"We should be grateful for his help, Laxus."

"With all due respect, First Master, look at what he's done for us so far." Laxus turned around, not wanting to come off as rude. "I mean, for all we know, he could be the 'Dragon King' the prophecy refers to!"

"Nah." Gajeel again. "Back when we were down in the graveyard, that one ghost said that Acnologia was king. I know he ain't been the nicest, but we should give him the benefit of the doubt."

"Yeah, he could have very easily said no." Gray added.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Gray." Erza spoke up as she looked over the balcony. "He still doesn't know how to get his friend's soul out of Mira's body. He may very well be doing this just to benefit himself."

"I really hope you're wrong, Erza." She looked over as Makarov spoke her name. He had turned, and was walking out the door with Laxus, the others beginning to follow suit. "For everyone's sake."

_Meanwhile_

Sol landed right back in his room at the inn with Dimaria, who was now visible. He simply dropped his bag on the desk, looking out the window toward the palace. A very subtle look of worry had crept onto his face.

"Is what they said true?" He looked behind him to see Dimaria looking on, brandishing her own worrying look.

"Zeref told all of us about the Eclipse Gate a while ago. The part about it being a passage through time checks out. Though I had no clue about that whole prophecy."

"Alright. I'm heading over there now." Sol walked over and grabbed Dimaria's hand, a short burst of magical energy flowing to her on contact. "If I get hurt or in trouble, that'll help you find me. If it gets dangerous around here, meet me by the tree where we first met. Otherwise stay here."

"Got it. Be safe." Dimaria put her free hand on top of his.

"Of course. See you soon." Sol gave a little salute as he faded through the window.

As soon as he was gone, a feeling in Dimaria's gut told her it wouldn't be so soon.

_Sol's POV_

It didn't take Sol long to find Natsu and the other Fairy Tail members, who were stood across from a mysterious figure. The two parties appeared to be having a conversation.

"Spill it, who's this person you're after anyway?" Natsu asked the man opposite him.

Sol took this time appear, much to everyone's surprise. Bad timing.

"You!" The unnamed man pointed right at the Dragonborn; his face turned to a look of confusion.

"So you're the one who closes the gate!" Natsu turned, anger in his voice. "I knew we couldn't trust you!"

"Hold on, close the gate? You and your friends just told me it was the only way to stop this Dragon King Festival or whatever, why in the world would I close it?"

This seemed to calm Natsu slightly, though he still wasn't fully convinced. He turned to hear the man's response. "Well?"

"Wait a minute, you're Rogue right? I knew I recognized that magic from somewhere." Sol tilted his head again in confusion. "Why do you look like that?"

"I've come from the future. And in my time, you use the dragons to reign over the planet and rule as a tyrant."

Sol quickly turned up the pressure. He knew this guy was full of it.

"That's ridiculous. For one, Acnologia is supposed to be this world's king of the dragons. The whole Eclipse Gate plan was meant to stop him. If I wanted to take over, I wouldn't stop the thing designed to take out my biggest rival."

The other Fairy Tail members shifted in place. Their attitudes had changed.

"Besides, this isn't even my own world. I've spent this whole time trying to get back, and you really want me to believe that I'd pass on the opportunity to see if this gate is my ticket home? I know it goes back in time and doesn't connect places, but it's not inconceivable to think that I'm simply from the same world, but a different time just like you. You're lying."

Future Rogue got angry. "I only speak the truth that fate has written! You seek the destruction of this world so that you can rule over it yourself! You and a blonde woman, who helps you by using her magic to close the gate!"

Every other member in the room except for Sol was completely unaffected by this new claim, as they had been almost completely convinced by Sol's argument. Sol himself was silently reeling, suddenly questioning the legitimacy of what Future Rogue had just said.

 _Blonde woman? Does he mean Dimaria? Her powers do relate to time, and the Eclipse Gate goes back in time. Am I really going to close this gate?_

"There's only a few blonde women who it could possibly be. And considering how close you are to Fairy Tail, it could only be…LUCY HEARTFILIA!"

Fully enraged now, Future Rogue sent a beam of shadows right for the celestial mage, a look of complete shock on her face.

Natsu could only look in horror, jumping to block the blast too late for it to matter.

Sol was fast enough, but the beam cut right through him, and he felt an agonizing pain unlike anything he had ever experienced, falling over into an almost unconscious state.

Future Lucy only barely managed to jump in front of her present-day self, taking the blow and becoming mortally wounded herself.

All of this in a split second.

Through blurred, half-conscious vision and hearing, Sol could make out a hand reaching out to him. He grabbed it and felt a rush of energy, and he returned to his senses. The hand belonged to Wendy.

"Thank y-" Sol, getting up slowly, was interrupted by an explosion. Natsu had launched himself at Rogue in a fiery rage. Sol, still a bit dazed from the hit, looked over to see Lucy crouched over her future self.

 _Blonde woman…_

Even though Sol was somewhat relieved to see that Rogue didn't know about Dimaria, he realized there were others who did. Mirajane, Laxus, Gray, and Juvia had all seen her face. Any one of them could have said something to the rest of Fairy Tail, and what little trust he had managed to build would be shattered. All on the word of some freak from the future…

Sol turned around in silent anger and determination toward the man in question. He and Natsu were trading blows, with Rogue seemingly taking the upper hand. He rushed forward, grabbing at the Dragon Slayer's neck, intending to finish him for the second time in two days.

"Sleep." Sol's eyes began to light with the same orange glow they always did.

Rogue just laughed.

"Do you really think I haven't figured that one out yet?" He slashed at Sol's own throat with a razor-thin shadow, which dissipated as quickly as it had formed.

Sol fell to his knees, using both of his hand to try and stop the bleeding. He strained his neck to look back at Wendy, hoping that she would be able to help him once more. She had already left with the others.

 _How…_

Rogue kicked the Dragonborn's body over onto his back, his foot planted firmly against his chest. "Your magic is largely based off of light. After doing some research, I realized that it was similar enough to Sting's that he could teach me how to counter it. Once he did, I killed him and took his power. That's how."

Sol's eyes widened as he looked at the man above him, a psychopath grinning from ear to ear.

"I can't read your mind, if you were wondering. I just know from our experience in the Games that you're cocky and arrogant enough to think nobody in this world can beat you." He leaned down, pressing all of his weight down through his foot and on Sol's chest. "Think again."

Future Rogue raised one arm to the sky, summoning a white and black ball of energy in his palm. He leaned back up, his eyes still looking down on Sol in contempt, ready to finish him off. "White Shadow Dragon-"

"Flash Forward!" Rogue looked up just in time to see a spray of purple orbs rain down on the hallway around him. He quickly reverted to shadow form and fled, leaving Natsu and Sol beaten on the ground.

Sol looked over to see two women approaching them. One had black hair, the other pink. Both wore dark blue robes over their clothes. His vision was too blurry to make out much else. Feeling exhausted due to blood loss, Sol lowered his head and rested on the floor.

It wasn't long before danger returned. Both men began to sink into the ground beneath them, as two new shadows appeared.

"Quick, Meldy, pull Natsu up. I've got Sol." The sound was muffled when it hit Sol's ears, let alone the fact that his vision had gone almost entirely black.

A few moments passed, and memories of the past few days flashed across his mind. Arriving in Crocus, meeting Dimaria, the free-for-all, all of it laid bare before him.

The moment passed, and Sol felt himself regain consciousness as the three others in the room stood in front of him.

"Hey, you're finally awake." The black-haired woman knelt down in front of the Dragonborn, a worried expression marked distinctively by her red eyes met Sol's weary gaze. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm feeling a little better." Sol rubbed at his neck and found that the cut had all but disappeared. "What happened?"

"Rogue must've tried to finish us off after he left." Natsu chimed in, his arms crossed, clearly unpleased with the current situation. "Fortunately Ultear and Meldy managed to get here in time to save us and heal some of your wounds."

"Thank you." Sol braced his hands against the floor, pressing his back against the wall and tried to stand. His body wouldn't let him.

"Woah, didn't I just say some wounds? Stay down man, you're gonna get yourself hurt." Natsu shifted his body toward Sol, reemphasizing his point.

"Whatever it is Rogue plans to do with the Eclipse Gate, we have to stop him." Sol sat back down, frustration and pain coming through in his voice.

"We?" It was Meldy's turn to speak. "You need to stay here and rest while we go deal with him. You're in no position to fight."

Sol tried to get up again to prove her wrong but failed once again. Letting out an exasperated sigh, he nodded, and the others left to find Rogue.

Sol closed his eyes, trying to summon whatever magic he had left. Blood loss had accounted for most of it, and Meldy certainly wasn't as capable a healer as Wendy. He used what little he had left on easing the pain Rogue had left in his chest, mending a couple of cracks in his ribcage. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he began to meditate.

 _There's no way that gate being open can be a good thing. Lucy seems good enough a person to trust her judgement, even if that does mean closing it. But why?_

Sol spent an uncomfortable few minutes thinking about it as he sat propped up against the wall of the rubble-filled hallway. His pain only got marginally better during that time.

 _The gate must be two ways. If it only travelled from this time to the past, what would Rogue possibly stand to gain from having it left open? Would he use it himself?_

Sol thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he heard a small shuffling down the hall. Opening his eyes, he could see a oddly-shaped haze covering a part of the room. He recognized it immediately.

Taking off the necklace, Dimaria appeared midstride as she ran to Sol's aid. "Sol! Are you okay?!"

"What are you doing here? It isn't safe!" Sol strained to get up but for the third time failed to get off the ground. "I thought I told you to stay at the inn!"

"I know, I'm sorry. I just knew as soon as you left that something was wrong. What happened?" Dimaria was now on both knees in front of Sol, both her hands on his shoulders as she assessed the situation.

"There is a Rogue from the future, and he is trying to stop Fairy Tail from closing the Eclipse Gate."

"What? I thought Fairy Tail wanted it to be open?"

"Well clearly, he's lying, he nearly killed Natsu and I. We were saved by a couple of random mages; I'm forgetting their names." Sol held is head in one hand as he tried to remember who had come to their rescue. "Do you have my bag?"

"Yeah, right here." Dimaria lifted the strap up from her shoulder and across her chest to hand it Sol, who immediately began rummaging through to find a potion to replenish his magic. All he could find was a half-drank healing potion from before he arrived in Earthland.

Sol popped the cap off the bottle and drank what remained of the potion's contents. A golden ray circled around him several times, and he suddenly felt heavier. Much of the blood he had lost had returned. He finally stood up, though he still felt light-headed and weak around his legs, as they had gone numb from lack of circulation.

"I think I remember the Eclipse Gate being this way, c'mon." Dimaria grabbed Sol's hand and wrapped it around the back of her neck, helping him walk as he regained strength.

"I appreciate you coming to help me." Sol looked over as a weary smile stretched across his face, his eyes fixed upon the Spriggan Shield. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd be sitting down over there." Dimaria used her free hand to point her thumb back toward where they had left. She continued to look forward, determination and worry spread across her face.

Sol's smile grew ever so slightly. Even when she wasn't trying, Dimaria always managed to be witty.

After a few minutes finding their way around the halls of Mercurius, Sol and Dimaria managed to find themselves a good quarter mile from the Eclipse Gate.

What roar that followed wasn't at all what they had expected. Both Sol and Dimaria looked up in shock and horror respectively as they reacted, their minds in unison.

 _Dragons._

 **A/N: Holy shit, it's been almost three months since my last update. I apologize so much for not being more consistent with my writing. College has been a bit rougher this semester, and certainly the outbreak of COVID-19 hasn't helped. There is a silver lining, though, which is that because I'm stuck at home, I'll have more time to dedicate to writing this story! I hope all of you are in good health and remain optimistic during this crisis. Personally, I hope it brings us together as a species and a planet. Cheers!**


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